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MEMOIR 


OF   THE 


•     1  - 

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I 

t 


OF 


BY 


SYLVESTER   MOWRY,    U.    S.   A., 


DELEGATE    ELECT. 


WAS  HI N  GT  ON : 

HENRY   POLKINHORN,  PRINTER. 

1857. 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 

<> 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


MEMOIR 


OF   THE 


Cerrit0rg 


BY 


SYLVESTER   MOWRY,    U.   S.   A., 


DELEGATE    ELECT. 


WAS  HIN  GT  ON : 

HENRY  POLKINHORN,  PRINTER. 

185T. 


78 


MEMOIR 


The  NEW  TERRITORY  OF  ARIZONA,  better  known  as  the 
GADSDEN  PURCHASE,  lies  between  the  thirty-first  and  thirty- 
third  parallels  of  latitude,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the 
Gila  River,  which  separates  it  from  the  Territory  of  New 
Mexico ;  on  the  east  by  the  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte,  (Rio  Grande,) 
which  separates  it  from  Texas  ;  on  the  south  by  Chihuahua  and 
Sonora,  Mexican  provinces ;  and  on  the  west  by  the  Colorado 
River  of  the  West,  which  separates  it  from  Upper  and  Lower 
California.  This  great  region  is  six  hundred  miles  long  by 
about  fifty  miles  wide,  and  embraces  an  area  of  about  thirty 
thousand  square  miles.  It  was  acquired  by  purchase  from 
Mexico,  during  the  mission  of  General  Gadsden,  at  a  cost  of 
ten  millions  of  dollars.  In  the  original  treaty,  as  negotiated 
by  General  Gadsden,  a  more  southern  boundary  than  the  one 
adopted  by  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  in  confirming  the 
treaty,  was  conceded  by  Santa  Anna.  The  line  at  present  is 
irregular  in  its  course,  and  cuts  off  from  our  Territory  the  head 
of  the  Santa  Cruz  river  and  valley,  the  Sonoita  valley,  the 
San  Bernardino  valley,  the  whole  course  of  the  Colorado  river 
from  a  point  twenty  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Gila  river, 
and,  worse  than  all,  the  control  of  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of 
California,  and  the  rich  and  extensive  valley  of  Lake  Guzman, 
besides  a  large  and  extremely  valuable  silver  region,  well  known 
both  to  Mexicans  and  Americans — the  planchas  de  la  Platte. 
General  Gadsden's  line  included  nearly  all  the  territory  south 
of  the  Gila  river  to  the  thirty-first  parallel  of  latitude — all  the 
advantages  above  mentioned — gave  us  the  mouth  of  the  Col- 
orado river,  and  probably  a  port  near  the  head  of  the  gulf  at 
Adair's  Bay.  We  have  no  accurate  survey  of  the  west  coast 
of  the  Gulf  of  California,  but  I  am  strongly  of  opinion  that 
the  original  line  conceded  by  Mexico  would  have  thrown  a  por- 
tion of  the  gulf  into  American  hands,  by  cutting  off  an  arm 
of  it  extending  east  and  north  from  the  main  body  of  water. 
A  port  on  the  gulf  is  of  great  and  immediate  necessity  to  our 
Pacific  possessions.  Of  this  hereafter. 


The  proposed  boundaries,  of  the  Territory  of  Arizona,  are 
the  34th  parallel  of  latitude,  with  New  Mexico  on  the  north, 
from  the  103d  meridian  west  to  the  Colorado ;  Texas  on  the 
east ;  Texas,  and  the  Mexican  provinces  of  New  Mexico  and 
Sonora  on  the  south ;  and  California  on  the  west.  The  new 
Territory  would  thus  contain  within  its  borders  the  three  largest 
rivers  on  the  Continent,  west  of  the  Mississippi — the  Rio  Grande, 
Gila,  and  Colorado  of  the  west,  and  embrace  90,000  square  miles. 

The  Gadsden  purchase  is  attached  by  act  of  Congress  to  the 
Territory  of  New  Mexico.  At  the  time  of  its  acquisition 
there  was  scarcely  any  population  except  a  few  scattering 
Mexicans  in  the  Mesilla  valley,  and  at  the  old  town  of  Tucson, 
in  the  centre  of  the  territory.  The  Apache  Indian,  superior 
in  strength  to  the  Mexican,  had  gradually  extirpated  every 
trace  of  civilization,  and  roamed  uninterrupted  and  unmolested, 
sole  possessor  of  what  was  once  a  thriving  and  populous  Span- 
ish province. 

Except  the  report  of  Col.  A.  B.  Gray,  there  is  scarcely  any- 
thing in  print  with  reference  to  the  early  history  of  Arizona, 
beyond  the  scanty  but  valuable  notes  of  Major  Emory  and  Hon. 
John  R.  Bartlett,  in  their  reports,  and  in  the  appendix  to  Wil- 
son's late  book,  "  Mexico  and  its  Religion."  To  this  last  I 
beg  to  refer  any  reader  who  desires  accurate  information  re- 
specting the  Northern  Mexican  provinces,  presented  in  a 
straightforward  common-sense  style. 

In  the  possession  of  the  writer  of  these  notes  is  a  map  drawn 
in  1757,  just  one  hundred  years  ago,  presented  by  the  Society 
of  Jesuits  to  the  King  of  Spain.  The  original  of  this  map  is 
now  in  the  archives  of  the  Mexican  Government.  It  was  co- 
pied, with  the  notes  relating  to  the  Territory,  and  to  Sonora, 
Chihuahua,  and  Sinaloa,  by  Capt.  C.  P.  Stone,  late  of  the  United 
States  Army.  The  map  bears  the  inscription,  ^  Carte  levee 
par  la  Societe  des  Jesuites,  dediee  au  Hoi  dEspagne  en  1757." 

The  copy  of  the  map  and  the  accompanying  notes  are  certi- 
fied as  accurate  by  the  officer  of  the  Mexican  Government  in 
charge  of  the  archives. 

My  information,  therefore,  upon  the  early  history  of  this 
comparatively  unknown  domain,  is  accurate  and  reliable.  As 
early  as  1687,  a  Jesuit  missionary  from  the  province  of  Sonora, 
which,  in  its  southern  portion,  bore  already  the  impress  of 
Spanish  civilization,  descended  the  valley  of  Santa  Cruz  river 
to  the  Gila.  Passing  down  the  Gila  to  its  mouth,  after  explo- 
ring the  country,  he  retraced  his  steps,  penetrated  the  country 
north  of  the  Gila  river  for  some  distance,  and  ascended  the 
Salinas  or  Salt  river,  and  other  northern  branches  of  the  Gila. 


The  explorations  of  this  energetic  priest  did  not  stop  here* 
Proceeding  east,  he  explored  the  valley  of  the  San  Pedro  and 
its  branches,  thence  along  the  Gila  to  the  Mimhres,  and  proba- 
bly to  the  Bio  Grande  and  the  Mesilla  valley.  Filled  with  the 
enthusiasm  of  his  sect,  he  procured  authority  from  the  head 
of  the  order  in  Mexico,  and  established  missions  and  settle- 
ments at  every  available  point.  In  a  report  to  the  government 
of  the  viceroy  of  Spain,  made  during  the  early  settlement  of 
the  province,  I  find  the  following  language  :  "  A  scientific  ex- 
ploration of  Sonora,  with  reference  to  mineralogy,  along  with 
the  introduction  of  families,  will  lead  to  a  discovery  of  gold 
and  silver  so  marvellous  that  the  result  will  be  such  as  has 
never  yet  been  seen  in  the  world." 

The  reports  of  the  immense  mineral  wealth  of  the  new  coun- 
try, made  by  the  Jesuits,  induced  a  rapid  settlement.  There 
are  laid  down  on  the  map  before  me  more  than  forty  towns  and 
villages.  Many  of  these  were  of  considerable  size.  There 
were  a  few  north  of  the  Gila,  and  several  on  the  lower  Gila, 
near  the  Colorado.  The  Santa  Cruz  and  its  tributary  valleys 
teemed  with  an  agricultural  and  mining  population.  Thousands 
of  enterprising  Spaniards  cultivated  the  rich  valley  of  the  San 
Pedro,  and  scattered  settlements  flourished  at  every  suitable 
stream  and  spring  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  towards  the 
Rio  Grande.  The  notes  before  me  say :  "  All  these  settle- 
ments and  missions  were  founded  in  fertile  valleys,  and  by 
streams  and  springs,  which  produced  luxuriant  crops  of  wheat, 
corn,  and  beans,  and  in  many  parts  grapes  and  other  foreign 
fruits  were  cultivated." 

In  the  western  part  of  the  Territory  were  the  missions  of  St. 
Pierre,  St.  Paul,  St.  Matthias,  St.  Simond,  St.  Francisco, 
Merci,  the  ranches  of  Eau  Cheri,  Eau  de  la  Lune,  and  others ; 
on  the  Santa  Cruz  the  missions  of  San  Xavier  del  Bac,  Santi- 
ago, San  Cayetano,  and  San  Philipe,  the  towns  of  Tueson, 
Tubac,  Reges,  San  Augusta,  and  many  others.  San  Xavier 
del  Bac  is  still  in  existence.  It  is  a  mission  church  of  great 
size  and  beauty,  magnificently  ornamented  within  ;  forty  thou- 
sand dollars  in  solid  silver  served  to  adorn  the  altar.  Upon 
the  San  Pedro  river  were  the  missions  of  St.  Mark,  San  Salva- 
dore,  San  Pantaleon,  Santa  Cruz,  and  the  towns  of  Quiduria, 
Rosario,  Eugenia,  Victoria,  and  San  Fernando — the  latter  at 
the  mouth — with  many  more.  To  the  east  some  small  settle- 
ments were  found  on  the  Valle  del  Sauz,  on  the  Mimbres,  at 
the  copper  mines  north  of  the  Mimbres,  and  to  the  south  the 
immense  grazing  and  stock-raising  establishment  of  San  Ber- 
nardino, where  since  have  been  raised  hundreds  of  thousands 


6 

of  cattle  and  horses.  The  Indians  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mis- 
sions were  reduced  first  to  obedience  by  the  Jesuits,  and  then 
to  slavery  by  the  Spaniards. 

The  notes  referred  to  above  contain  the  names  and  localities 
of  more  than  a  hundred  silver  and  gold  mines  which  were 
worked  with  great  success  by  the  Spaniards.  The  survey  of 
the  Jesuit  priest  about  1687  was  repeated  in  1710  with  renewed 
discoveries,  and  consequent  accession  of  population.  From 
this  time  up  to  1757  the  conquest  and  settlement  of  the  country 
was  prosecuted  with  vigor,  both  by  the  Jesuits'  Society  and 
Spanish  government. 

The  missions  and  settlements  were  repeatedly  destroyed  by 
the  Apaches,  and  the  priests  and  settlers  massacred  or  driven 
off.  As  often  were  they  re-established.  The  Indians  at  length, 
thoroughly  aroused  by  the  cruelties  of  the  Spaniards,  by  whom 
they  were  deprived  of  their  liberty,  forced  to  labor  in  the  sil* 
ver  mines  with  inadequate  food,  and  barbarously  treated,  finally 
rose,  joined  with  tribes  who  had  never  been  subdued,  and  gra- 
dually drove  out  or  massacred  their  oppressors.  A  superior 
civilization  disappeared  before  their  devastating  career,  and  to- 
day there  is  scarcely  a  trace  of  it  left,  except  scarcely  visible 
ruins,  evidence  everywhere,  of  extensive  and  hastily-deserted 
mining  operations,  and  the  tradition  of  the  country.  The 
mission  of  San  Xavier  del  Bac,  and  the  old  towns  of  Tucson 
and  Tubac,  are  the  most  prominent  of  these  remains.  The 
labors  of  the  Jesuits  to  civilize  the  Indians  are  still  evident  in 
the  mission  Indians,  the  Papagos  and  Pimas,  who  live  in  villa- 
ges, cultivate  crops  of  corn  and  wheat,  and  who,  in  the  Christian 
and  human  elements  of  good  faith  and  charity,  are,  to  say  the 
least,  in  no  way  inferior  to  the  Mexicans.  After  the  massacre 
of  four  of  Crabbe's  unfortunate  party  near  Sonoitaby  the  Mexi- 
cans, the  Papago  Indians  buried  carefully  the  bodies  to  which 
Mexican  inhumanity  had  denied  this  last  charitable  office.  It 
is  a  curious  and  suggestive  fact  that  the  latitude  of  places  upon 
Gila,  Santa  Cruz,  and  San  Pedro,  determined  by  the  Jesuits 
about  1750,  has  lately  been  verified  by  the  observations  of 
Park  Michler,  and  Emory.  The  instruments  used  by  the 
Jesuits  were  constructed  by  them,  the  lenses  being  made  from 
pebbles. 

From  1757  down  to  1820,  the  Spaniards  and  Mexicans  con- 
tinued to  work  many  valuable  mines  near  Barbacora,  and  the 
notes  in  my  possession  speak  of  many  silver  mines,  most  of 
which  contained  a  percentage  of  gold.  "  The  San  Pedro  gold 
mine  in  1748  was  worked  with  extraordinary  success."  Among 
the  mines  anciently  worked,  as  laid  down  in  the  authorities  here- 


tofore  referred  to,  were  the  Dolores,  San  Antonio,  Oasa  Grorda., 
Cabrisa,  San  Juan  Batista,  Santa  Anna,  (which  Was  worked  to 
the  depth  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  yards,)  Rosario,  Cata  de 
Agua,  Guadaloupe,  Connilla,  Prieta,  Santa  Catarina,  Guzopa, 
Hurstano,  Arpa,  Descuhidara,  Nacosare,  Arguage,  Churina- 
babi,  Huacal,  Final,  and  a  great  number  of  others  which  it 
Would  only  be  tedious  to  mention. 

The  most  celebrated  modern  localities  are  Arivaca,  (also  an- 
ciently famous  as  Aribac,)  Sopori,  the  Arizona  mountains,  the 
Santa  Rita  range,  the  Cerro  Colorado,  the  entire  vicinity  of 
Tubac,  the  Bel  Ajo,  or  Arizona  copper  mine,  the  Gadsonia 
copper  mine,  and  the  Gila  river  copper  mines.  These  last  are 
situated  directly  upon  the  Gila,  only  twenty-five  miles  from  its 
mouth.  The  writer  assures  the  public  that  there  is  no  room 
for  doubt  as  to  the  authenticity  of  these  statements,  or  the  im- 
mense resources  of  the  new  Territory  in  silver,  copper,  and 
probably  gold.  As  late  as  1820,  the  Mina  Cobre  de  la  Plata^ 
(silver  copper  mines,)  near  Fort  Webster,  north  of  the  Gila, 
were  worked  to  great  advantage ;  and  so  rich  was  the  ore  that 
it  paid  for  transportation  on  muleback  more  than  a  thousand 
miles  to  the  city  of  Mexico. 

Every  exploration  within  the  past  few  years  has  confirmed 
the  statements  of  the  ancient  records.  The  testimony  of  living 
Mexicans,  and  the  tradition  of  the  country,  all  tend  to  the 
same  end.  Col.  A.  B.  Gray,  Col.  Emory,  Lt.  Michler,  Lt. 
Parke,  the  Hon.  John  R.  Bartlett,  late  of  the  United  States 
Boundary  Commission,  all  agree  in  the  statement  that  the  Ter- 
ritory has  immense  resources  in  silver  and  copper.  Col.  Emory 
says  in  his  report  l 

"On  account  of  the  Gold  Mania  in  California  I  kept  the  search  for  gold 
and  other  precious  metals  as  much  out  of  view  as  possible,  scarcely  allowing 
it  to  be  a  matter  of  conversation,  much  less  of  actual  search.  Yet,  enough 
was  ascertained  to  convince  us  that  the  whole  region  was  teeming-  with  the 
precious  metals.  We  everywhere  saw  the  remains  of  mining  operations,  con- 
ducted by  the  Spaniards,  and  more  recently  by  the  Mexicans. 

The  report  enumerates  at  considerable  length  the  various  lo- 
calities examined  by  Col.  Emory's  party,  and  others,  of  which 
there  could  be  no  doubt. 

In  view  of  these  authorities,  it  is  hoped  that  those  who  will 
not  believe  upon  any  evidence,  will  be  content  in  their  own  in- 
credulity. The  most  authentic  reports  of  these  immense  mine- 
ral resources  have  been  used  as  authorities  against  their  exist- 
ence. The  authors  of  these  denials  either  have  never  read 
what  they  pretend  to  quote,  or  think  no  one  else  has.  The 
Hon.  T.  Butler  King,  who  was  the  first  to  reveal  to  an  incredu- 
lous public  the  wonders  of  the  California  gold  mines,  has  had 


8 

the  singular  good  fortune  to  be  also  among  the  first  to  publish 
correct  and  authentic  information  relating  to  the  silver  treasures 
of  Arizona.  His  report  upon  the  resources  of  the  new  Terri- 
tory has  all  the  charm  to  the  reader  that  his  California  report 
had,  and  its  brilliant  predictions  will  be  as  fully  realized.  To 
Gray  and  Emory  is  the  country  most  indebted  for  the  earliest 
and  most  important  discoveries. 

The  agricultural  resources  of  Arizona,  are  sufficient  to  sus- 
tain a  large  mining  population,  and  afford  abundant  supplies 
for  the  great  immigration  which  will  follow  the  development  of 
its  mineral  resources.  The  whole  valley  of  the  Gila,  more  than 
four  hundred  miles  in  length,  can  be  made  with  proper  exertion 
to  yield  plentiful  crops.  The  Pimos  Indians,  who  live  in  villages 
on  the  Giia,  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles  from  its  mouth, 
raise  large  crops  of  cotton,  wheat,  and  corn,  and  have  for  years 
supplied  the  thousands  of  emigrants  who  traverse  the  Territory 
en  route  to  California.  These  Indians  manufacture  their  cotton 
into  blankets  of  fine  texture  and  beautiful  pattern,  which  com- 
mand a  high  price.  They  also  grind  their  corn  and  wheat,  and 
make  bread.  In  fact,  the  Pimos  realize  in  their  everyday  life 
something  of  our  ideas  of  Aztec  civilization.  A  town  will  prob- 
ably grow  up  just  above  the  Pimos  villages,  as  there  is  a  rich 
back  country,  and  the  streams  afford  a  valuable  water  power  for 
running  mills. 

The  valley  of  the  Santa  Cruz  traverses  the  territory  from 
South  to  North,  sinking  near  the  town  of  Tueson,  and  probably 
finding  its  way  to  the  Gila,  as  a  subterranean  stream.  This 
valley,  of  the  richest  land,  is  about  one  hundred  miles  long,  in 
many  places  of  great  width,  and  has  on  each  side  of  it  many 
rich  valleys  of  limited  extent,  watered  by  streams  from  the 
mountains,  which  flow  into  the  Santa  Cruz.  The  valleys  and 
Ranches  of  Arivaca,  Sopori,  Calabazas,  and  Tueson,  are  those 
at  present  most  thickly  settled.  These  produce  all  the  fruits 
known  to  a  Southern  clime — grapes,  wheat,  corn,  and  cotton  in 
great  abundance.  The  San  Pedro  river  and  valley  is  also  one 
of  great  richness,  and  is  reported  by  Lieut.  Parke  as  capable 
of  sustaining  a  large  population.  The  Valle  de  Sauz,  still 
farther  East,  more  limited  than  the  San  Pedro  or  Santa  Cruz, 
can  be  made  available  for  a  considerable  population.  The 
Mimbres  River  also  can,  by  a  small  outlay,  be  made  to  irrigate 
a  large  surface  and  supply  a  moderate  settlement.  The  various 
springs  laid  down  by  Gray,  Emory,  Parke,  and  Bartlett,  will 
all  afford  water  for  small  settlements,  and  their  supply  can 
be  much  increased  by  a  judicious  outlay  of  money.  The  Rio 
Grande  valley  is  very  rich,  and  in  places  of  great  width.  The 


?silla  valley  already  contains  a  population  of  about  five 
lousand  souls,  and  there  is  ample  room  for  many  more. 

If,  as  proposed,  the  Northern  boundary  of  the  Arizona  Terri- 
tory should  enclose  the  Northern  branches  of  the  Gila,  an 
agricultural  region  will  be  opened  to  settlement  sufficient  in 
itself  to  sustain  the  population  of  an  immense  agricultural 
State.  Col.  Bonneville,  who  is  now  at  the  head  of  a  large 
force  exploring  this  region,  writes  to  the  Secretary  of  War 
that  it  is  the  finest  country  he  has  ever  seen,  "  valleys  capable 
of  sustaining  a  population  of  twenty  thousand  each,  teeming 
at  every  step  with  evidences  of  an  immense  population  long 
ago  —  and  an  ancient  and  superior  civilization."  The  Hon. 
John  R.  Bartlett  says  of  the  "  Salinas,"  one  of  the  Northern 
branches  of  the  Gila,  that  it  alone  will  supply  food  for  a  great 
State.  It  must  be  recollected,  in  this  connection,  that  the  great 
mineral  wealth  of  Arizona  will  call  for  and  amply  repay  for 
the  redemption  and  expensive  cultivation  of  all  the  available 
lands,  and  that  irrigation  produces  immensely  greater  crops 
than  the  other  method  of  planting.  Throughout  the  whole  of 
Utah,  irrigation  has  been  resorted  to  with  the  greatest  success. 
The  soil  in  Utah,  in  no  place  that  the  writer  saw  it,  could  in 
any  way  be  compared  to  that  of  the  bottom  lands  of  Arizona. 

Captain  Whipple  in  his  valuable  report  of  exploration  for 
the  Pacific  Railroad,  published  by  order  of  Congress,  crossed 
the  upper  part  of  the  region  alluded  to,  and  which  is  watered 
by  the  Rio  Verde  and  Salinas.  He  fully  sustains  me  in  my 
remarks  on  those  rich  valleys. 

"We  are  in  the  pleasantest  region  we  have  seen  since  leaving  the  Choctaw 
country.  Here  are  clear  rivulets,  with  fertile  valleys  and  forest  trees.  The 
wide  belt  of  country  that  borders  the  Black  Forest,  and  probably  extends 
along  the  Rio  Verde  to  the  Salinas  and  Gila,  bears  every  indication  of  being 
able  to  support  a  large  agricultural  and  pastoral  population.  The  valley  of 
the  Rio  Verde  is  magnificently  wooded  with  furs  and  oaks,  affording  excel- 
lent timber.  Ancient  ruins  are  said  by  trappers  to  be  scattered  over  its 
whole  length  to  the  confluence  with  the  Salinas.  We,  therefore,  seem  to 
have  skirted  the  boundary  of  a  country  once  populous,  and  worthy  of  be- 
coming so  again.  Besides  the  advantages  already  enumerated,  the  moun- 
tains in  this  vicinity  bear  indications  of  mineral  wealth.  Vol.  3,  p.  93. 

The  notes  before  referred  to,  in  the  possession  of  the  writer, 
speak  of  great  farming  and  grazing  establishments  scattered 
over  the  whole  face  of  the  Territory,  between  1610  and  1800, 
which  produced  abundant  crops  of  cereals,  fruits,  and  grapes. 
These  statements  are  confirmed  by  the  testimony  of  Major 
Emory  and  his  report,  where  he  enumerates  several  of  the  most 
extensive  —  by  Gray,  Bartlett,  Parke,  and  Col.  Bonneville. 
Many  of  the  Ranches,  deserted  by  the  Mexicans  on  account  of 
the  Apache  Indians,  have  upon  them  large,  well-built  adobe  houses 


10 

which  must  have  cost  the  builders  thousands  of  dollars.  Many 
of  these  have  been  occupied  under  squatter  titles  by  emigrants 
within  the  last  few  years.  Of  others,  only  the  ruins  remain^ 
having  been  destroyed  by  the  depredations  of  the  Indians,  or 
by  the  heavy  rains  of  the  succeeding  years. 

The  greater  portion  of  these  lands  on  the  Santa  Cruz  and 
San  Pedro  are  covered  by  Mexican  titles  —  and  many  of  these 
again  by  squatter  claims.  It  is  absolutley  necessary  that  Con- 
gress should  by  some  wise  and  speedy  legislation  settle,  upon 
some  definite  basis,  the  land  titles  of  Arizona.  Until  this  is  done, 
disorder  and  anarchy  will  reign  supreme  over  the  country. 
The  present  condition  of  California  is  in  a  great  degree  to  be 
attributed  to  the  want  of  any  title  to  the  most  valuable  real 
property  in  the  State,  and  the  millions  which  have  been  spent 
in  fruitless  litigation  should  teach  a  lesson  of  great  practical 
value.  Let  those  Spanish  grants  and  Mexican  titles  which  have 
been  occupied  in  good  faith  be  affirmed  in  the  most  expeditious  and 
economical  manner  to  the  claimants,  and  they  will  immediately 
pass  into  American  hands,  and  become  productive.  The  remain- 
der of  the  country  should  then  be  thrown  open  to  settlers.  No 
better  code  of  mining  law  exists  than  the  Spanish,  adopted  in 
the  Senate  bill  introduced  by  the  late  General  Husk,  and  passed 
at  the  last  session  of  Congress.  A  judicious  and  liberal  dona- 
tion law,  giving  to  the  actual  settler  a  homestead,  and  to  the  en- 
terprising miner  and  "  prospector"  a  fair  security  for  the  fruit  of 
his  labors,  will  at  once  make  of  Arizona  a  popular,  thriving  and 
wealthy  State,  affording  new  markets  for  the  productions  of  our 
Atlantic  States,,  and  yielding  annually  millions  in  silver  and 
copper. 

In  addition  to  the  produce  of  Arizona,  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  agricultural  region  of  Sonora  affords  an  abundant  mar- 
ket for  all  necessary  supplies,  including  sugar,  which  is  manu- 
factured by  the  Mexicans  in  great  quantities  from  the  cane. 
Guyamas,  which  one  day  will  be  ours,  is  one  of  the  largest 
ports  for  the  export  of  flour  on  the  Pacific  coast  north  of  Chili. 
She  also  exports  several  millions  in  silver  annually,  which  finds 
its  way  direct  to  the  English  market.  Under  an  intelligent 
system,  the  Sonora  mines  would  yield  a  hundred  millions  a 
year,  and  the  supply  is  inexhaustible.  If  any  reader  doubts 
this  statement,  refer  him  to  the  statistics  of  Humboldt,  Ward, 
and  Wilson,  most  unquestioned  and  valuable  authorities.  Both 
Humboldt  and  Ward  note  the  fact  that  the  silver  deposites 
grow  richer  as  they  are  traced  farther  North.  There  can  be 
no  doubt  that  the  most  extensive  and  valuable  mines,  both  of 
pure  silver  and  silver  mixed  with  copper  and  lead,  are  within 
the  limits  of  Arizona. 


11 

The  yield  of  the  silver  mines  of  Mexico,  as  computed  by- 
Ward  and  Humboldt  from  the  actual  official  returns  to  the 
Government,  from  the  conquest  to  1803,  amounts  to  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  $2,027,955,000,  or  more  than  two  BILLIONS  of 
dollars.  Again,  Ward  says  :  "  I  am  aware  that  many  of 
the  statements  in  this  and  the  preceding  books  respecting  the 
mineral  riches  of  the  North  of  New  Spain,  (Sonora,  including 
the  'Gadsden  Purchase,'  Chihuahua,  and  Durango,)  will  be 
thought  exaggerated.  They  are  not  so;  they  will  be  confirmed 
by  every  future  report,  and  in  after  years,  the  public,  familiar- 
ized with  facts  which  are  only  questioned  because  they  are  new, 
will  wonder  at  its  present  incredulity,  and  regret  the  loss  of 
advantages  which  may  not  always  be  within  its  reach." 

Of  the  present  mining  operations  in  the  Territory  of  Ari- 
zona, the  most  considerable,  in  point  of  labor  performed  and 
results,  is  "  The  Arizona  Copper  Mining  Co."  This  company 
is  incorporated  by  the  California  Legislature,  with  a  capital  of 
one  million  of  dollars.  The  President  is  Major  Robert  Allen, 
U.  S.  A.  The  mines  are  old,  and  very  celebrated  in  Mexico 
under  the  name  of  El-Ajo.  This  company,  at  an  expense  of 
$100,000,  have  supplied  their  mines  with  an  abundance  of 
water,  extracted  several  hundred  tons  of  ore,  and  erected  build- 
ings, smelting  furnaces,  and  other  appliances  to  facilitate 
their  operations.  They  employ  about  one  hundred  men,  mostly 
Mexican  miners.  Their  supplies  of  breadstuffs  and  beef  are 
obtained  by  contract  from  Sonora.  These  mines  are  situ- 
ated one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Gila  River,  and  about  sixty  miles  south  of  it.  The  ore  varies 
in  richness  from  thirty  to  sixty  per  cent.,  and  the  proceeds 
of  some  sales  in  London  were  quoted  as  being  the  highest 
prices  ever  paid  for  ore  in  that  market.  A  portion  of  this  mine 
is  owned  by  English  capitalists,  and  it  is  without  doubt  one  of 
the  most  valuable  in  the  world.  The  profits  may  be  easily 
calculated,  when  it  is  known  that  the  ore  costs  delivered  in 
Swansea,  England,  not  exceeding  $125  per  ton,  and  is  worth 
from  $200  to  $375  per  ton.  Of  course  these  profits  will  be 
greatly  increased  when  the  company  is  in  a  position  to  smelt 
its  ores  at  the  mine.  The  Sonora  Exploring  and  Mining  Com- 
pany was  organized  in  1856,  with  a  capital  of  two  million  dol- 
lars ($2,000,000).  Its  principal  office  is  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
and  its  seat  of  operations  at  Tubac,  in  the  Santa  Cruz  valley. 
This  company  is  managed  in  its  mining  operations  by  Chas.  D. 
Poston,  Esq.,  a  gentleman  of  much  experience  on  the  Pacific 
coast,  and  of  great  energy  of  character. 

The  Rancho  of  Arivaca,  containing  several  valuable  silver 


12 

mines,  and  seventeen  thousand  acres  of  valuable  land,  has  been 
purchased  by  this  company.  It  has  also  acquired  the  titles  to 
a  number  of  other  valuable  mines  of  galena  ore,  and  copper 
containing  silver  and  gold.  Hitherto,  the  exertions  of  the 
company  have  been  directed  principally  to  explorations  and 
cleaning  out  the  old  mines,  but  they  have  at  present  above 
ground,  ready  for  smelting,  several  thousand  dollars .  worth  of 
their  ores.  Prof.  Booth,  CJ.  S.  Assayer,  as  well  as  other  dis- 
tinguished authorities,  have,  after  thorough  experiment,  given 
to  the  company  certificates  of  the  great  richness  of  the  ores 
already  shipped  to  the  east.  The  annual  report  of  the  Sonora 
Mining  Co.  is  full  of  interest  to  the  general  reader.  The 
Sopori  mine  is  another  very  valuable  property.  It  is  owned  by 
Messrs.  Douglass,  Aldrich,  and  another.  Want  of  capital 
has  prevented  the  extensive  development  of  this  mine.  It 
affords  its  proprietors  a  handsome  profit,  worked  in  the 
smallest  and  cheapest  manner.  The  vein  is  of  great  size,  has 
been  traced  several  rods  in  length,  and  pays  about  one  dol- 
lar to  the  pound  of  ore.  The  writer  has  examined  specimens 
from  the  "  Sopori,"  taken  at  random,  and  so  rich  is  the  ore 
that  the  native  silver  can  be  cut  out  of  it  with  a  penknife,  as 
out  of  a  Mexican  dollar.  Undoubtedly  the  Sopori  mine  is 
destined  to  yield  hundreds  of  millions.  It  is  a  peculiarity  of 
the  ores  in  this  district  that  they  run  near  the  surface,  making 
mining  of  comparative  small  cost.  The  Sopori  mine  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  fine  country,  well  watered  and  wooded.  The 
"  Gadsonia  Copper  Mining  Co.,"  after  taking  out  a  few  tons  of 
exceedingly  rich  ore  —  averaging  over  eighty  per  cent.  —  was 
obliged  to  suspend  operations  on  account  of  the  cost  of  trans- 
portation. When  the  Territory  shall  be  organized  and  capital 
protected  by  law,  these  mines  will  be  worked  to  advantage. 
"  The  Gila  River  Copper  Mines"  are  more  favorably  situated 
than  any  other  yet  opened,  being  directly  on  the  Gila  River, 
only  twenty-five  miles  from  its  mouth.  The  ores  can  be  taken 
from  the  mine,  immediately  shipped  upon  flat  boats  or  a  light 
draft  steamer,  and  transported  down  the  Colorado  River  to  the 
head  of  the  Gulf  of  California,  when  they  can  be  transhipped 
to  England  at  small  cost.  Upwards  of  twenty  veins  of  copper 
ore  have  been  opened,  and  the  assays  give  results  varying  from 
30  to  70  per  cent.  These  mines  are  owned  by  Messrs.  Hooper, 
Hinton,  Halstead,  and  another.  Several  thousand  dollars  have 
been  already  expended  in  prospecting  and  opening  veins,  and 
it  was  anticipated  by  the  proprietors  that  the  first  cargo  would  be 
shipped  to  Swansea,  England,  this  year. 

Smelting  works  will  eventually  be  built  at  the  mines,  or  at 


13 

/olorado  City,  opposite  Fort  Yuma,  and  the  profits  of  this 
company  must  be  very  great.  The  vicinity  of  the  Colorado, 
and  the  abundance  of  wood  and  water,  give  the  proprietors 
facilities  for  conducting  their  operations  at  small  cost. 

Silver  mining  is  also  carried  on  in  the  vicinity  of  Mesilla 
Valley,  and  near  the  Rio  Grande. 

Many  other  mining  operations  are  constantly  being  com- 
menced; but  the  depredations  of  the  Apache  Indians  have 
almost  entirely  snatched  success  from  the  hard-working  miner, 
who,  besides  losing  his  all,  is  often  massacred  in  some  ferocious 
manner. 

No  protection,  either  civil  or  military,  is  extended  over  the 
greater  portion  of  Arizona.  This  checks  the  development  of 
all  her  resources  —  not  only  to  her  own  injury,  but  that  of 
California  and  the  Atlantic  States  —  by  withholding  a  market 
for  their  productions,  and  the  bullion  which  she  is  fully  able  to 
supply  to  an  extent  corresponding  to  the  labor  employed  in 
obtaining  it. 

A.  B.  Gray,  Esq.,  late  U.  S.  Surveyor  under  the  treaty  of 
Gaudalupe  Hidalgo,  for  running  the  Mexican  Boundary,  and 
subsequently  Exploring  Engineer  and  Surveyor  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad,  has  probably  seen  more  of  the  proposed  Ter- 
ritory of  Arizona  than  any  other  person,  his  statements  in  ref- 
erance  to  that  region,  embodied  in  a  report  to  the  Hon.,  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior,  from  actual  field  reconnoissances  six 
years  ago,  will  be  read  with  much  interest,  particularly  as  since 
then,  repeated  developments  in  that  country  have  proved  the 
correctness  of  his  judgment;  his  opinions  are,  therefore,  of 
much  importance,  as  expressed  in  his  able  report.  It  will  be 
recollected  that  this  was  then  Mexican  Territory.  Colonel 
Gray  says : 

"  The  public,  I  think,  have  been  misled  by  misrepresentations  made  in  re- 
gard to  the  resources  of  the  region  of  country  lying  along  the  Gila,and  upon 
the  line  proposed  fora  railroad  at  or  near  the  parallel  of  3&°  north  latitude. 
That  portion  of  country  east  of  the  Rio  Grande  I  can  say  but  little  of  from 
personal  observation ,  having  been  over  but  a  part  of  the  ground  near  the  eastern 
division  in  Texas,  and  that  in  the  vicinity  of  El  Paso.  At  both  these  points, 
however,  a  fine  country  exists.  Upon  the  Gila  river  grows  cotton  of  the  most 
superior  kind.  Its  nature  is  not  unlike  that  of  the  celebrated  Sea  Island  cotton, 
possessing  an  equally  fine  texture,  and,  if  anything,  more  of  a  silky  fibre.  The 
samples  I  procured  at  the  Indian  villages,  from  the  rudely  cultivated  fields  of 
the  Pimas  and  Maricopas,  have  been  spoken  of  as  an  extraordinary  quality. 
Wheat,  corn,  and  tobacco,  together  with  beans,  melons,  etc.,  grow  likewise 
upon  the  banks  and  in  the  valleys  bordering  the  Gila  and  its  tributaries. 
The  sugar  cane,  too,  I  believe,  will  be  found  to  thrive  in  this  section  of  the 
country  west  of  the  Rio  San  Pedro.  A  sort  of  candied  preserve  and  mo- 
lasses, expressed  from  the  fruit  of  the  cereus  giganteus  and  agave  Americana 
was  found  by  our  party  in  1851,  as  we  passed  through  the  Pinal  Llano  camps 
and  among  the  Gila  tribes,  to  be  most  acceptable.  The  candied  preserve  was 


14 

a  most  excellent  substitute  for  sugar.  It  is  true  that  there  are  extensive 
wastes  to  be  encountered  west  of  the  Rio  Grande,  yet  they  are  not  deserts  of 
sand,  but  plains  covered  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  with  luxuriant  grass, 
exhibiting  green  spots  and  springs  not  very  remote  from  each  other  at  all  times. 
There  is  sufficient  water  in  the  Gila  and  its  branches  for  all  the  purposes 
of  irrigation  when  it  is  wanted,  the  streams  being  high  during  the  season 
most  needed.  The  Rio  Salado,  a  tributary  of  the  Gila,  is  a  bold  and  far 
more  beautiful  river  than  the  Gila  itself,  and,  from  the  old  ruins  now  seen 
there,  must  have  had  formerly  a  large  settlement  upon  its  banks. 

"  To  many  persons  merely  travelling  or  emigrating  across  the  country,  with 
but  one  object  in  view,  and  that  the  reaching  their  destination  on  the  Pacific, 
the  country  would  generally  present  a  barren  aspect.  But  it  will  be  recol- 
lected that  the  most  productive  fields  in  California,  before  American  enter- 
prise introduced  the  plough,  and  a  different  mode  of  cultivation  from  that  of 
the  natives  of  the  country,  presented  somewhat  similar  appearance.  Many 
believed,  at  first,  from  the  cold  and  sterile  look  of  the  hills,  and  the  parched 
appearance  of  the  fields  and  valleys,  over  which  the  starving  coyote  is  often 
seen  prowling  in  search  of  something  to  subsist  on,  that  California  could 
never  become  an  agricultural  district,  but  must  depend  upon  her  other  re- 
sources f or  greatness,  and  trust  to  distant  regions  for  the  necessaries  of  life 
required  for  her  increased  population.  It  was  natural  enough,  too,  that 
this  impression  should  be  created  in  those  accustomed  to  a  different  state  of 
things,  and  particularly  when  it  is  considered  that  the  very  season  of  blossom 
and  bloom  of  our  Atlantic  States  was  the  winter  of  California;  but  these 
same  fields  and  hills  have  a  very  different  appearance  in  January,  February, 
and  March,  clothed  as  they  are  in  the  brightest  verdure;  and  no  one  now 
will  pretend  to  say  that  California  does  not  possess  within  herself  great 
agricultural  as  well  as  mineral  wealth.  This,  I  believe,  will  some  day 
be  the  case  with  the  country  from  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  Gulf  of  California, 
adjacent  to  the  Gila.  Senate  Ex.  Doc.  No,  55,  33rd  Congress,  2nd  Session. 
**•**#  *  *  #  #  &  * 

In  speaking  of  the  resources  of  this  region  for  a  railroad,  in 
the  same  report,  Gray  says  : 

«'  The  valley  of  Mesilla,  extending  from  about  twelve  miles  above  the  true 
boundary  of  the  treaty  to  the  parallel  of  32°  22y  north  latitude,  lies  wholly 
within  the  disputed  district,  and  is,  for  its  extent,  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  fertile  along  the  whole  course  of  the  Rio  Grande.  The  town  of  Mesilla, 
only  a  few  years  old,  contains  several  thousand  people,  and  is  a  prosperous 
little  place.  It  was  not  settled  until  after  the  cession  of  this  territory  to  us 
by  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo.  Portions  of  the  valley  are  highly 
cultivated,  and  produce  the  grains  and  fruits  of  our  most  thriving  States. 
In  connexion  with  the  land  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  the  valley  of  the 
Messilla  is  capable  of  sustaining  a  considerable  population.  It  is  situated 
centrally  with  regard  to  a  large  district  of  country  of  lesser  agricultural 
capacity.  The  section  of  the  Rio  Grande  in  the  vicinity  of  El  Paso  and  the 
valley  of  Mesilla,  is  proverbial  for  the  production  of  fine  vegetables  and  fruits. 
Indeed,  about  El  Paso,  it  is  a  complete  garden  with  flourishing  vineyards, 
equalling  in  excellence  those  of  the  most  celebrated  grape  growing  countries. 

"  By  a  judicious  disposition  of  military  stations  along  this  line,  only  a  few 
troops  would  be  required  to  protect  the  great  northern  frontier  of  Sonora  and 
Chihuahua,  and  enable  us  to  carry  out  the  llth  article  of  our  late  treaty  with 
Mexico  more  effectually,  and  at  the  same  time  prevent  any  depredations  which 
the  Indians  might  be  disposed  to  commit  on  the  road.  Soon  after,  the  settle- 
ment of  the  country  would  make  the  presence  of  the  military  unnecessary, 
either  for  the  safety  of  a  railway  or  the  security  of  the  frontier.  The  strong- 
holds of  the  Apaches,  and  their  pathway  to  Mexico,  would  be  cut  off. 

"  A  wagon  road  established  from  the  Gulf  of  California  would  enable  sup- 
plies to  be  transported  along  this  line  at  one-half  of  the  present  cost.  The 
saving  of  one-third  or  more  distance,  through  a  comparatively  unsettled 
country,  in  transportation  is  an  important  consideration  in  the  construction 


15 

of  a  railway,  more  especially  when  men  and  materials,  to  a  great  extent, 
must  be  brought  from  very  remote  points.  The  navigation  of  the  Gulf  of 
California  is  said  to  be  very  good.  The  trade-winds  from  the  northwest, 
encountering  the  highlands  of  the  peninsula  of  Lower  California,  and  forming 
a  counter  current  under  its  lee,  enable  sailing  vessels  to  proceed  advanta- 
geously along  that  coast.  Returning,  by  keeping  on  the  eastern  side,  or  along 
the  shore  of  Sonora,  they  could  avail  themselves  of  the  prevailing  winds, 
which  regain  their  usual  direction  after  sweeping  across  the  Avide  expanse  of 
water.  The  trade  of  the  Gulf,  with  its  pearl  fisheries  and  other  resources, 
would  be  speedily  developed. 
******  *  #  *  #  # 

"  The  advantages  of  such  a  thoroughfare  are  obvious.  Five  years  would 
hardly  elapse  before  inestimable  benefits  would  be  realized;  and,  should 
war  threaten  our  Pacific  possessions,  a  few  days  would  suffice  to  send  from 
the  Mississipi  valley  an  army  that  would  defy  any  force  that  the  most 
formidable  power  could  array  against  us.  The  fine  cotton  region  of  the  Gila, 
the  rich  copper,  silver,  and  gold  mines  of  New  Mexico  and  Sonora  would  be 
at  once  developed,  bringing  a  vast  district  of  country  into  cultivation  which 
now  presents  a  fruitless  waste,  owing  to  Indian  depredations  and  the  absence 
of  means  of  communication  and  protection.  Mexico  has  tried  for  a  century 
past  to  insure  safety  to  her  inhabitants  in  this  region,  but  notwithstanding  the 
great  expense  she  has  incurred  in  keeping  up  her  garrisons,  she  has  failed  to 
afford  them  protection. 

"  The  deserted  appearance  of  the  country  from  El  Paso  to  the  Colorado  is 
no  criterion  by  which  to  judge  of  it»  value.  The  beautiful  valley  of  San 
Xavier,  or  Santa  Cruz,  some  two  years  ago  when  I  passed  through  it,  was 
entirely  deserted.  The  once  thriving  towns  of  Tumacacori  and  Tubac  had 
not  the  sign  of  a  living  soul  about  them  except  the  recent  moccasin  track  of 
the  Apaches.  The  orchards  and  vineyards  of  the  once  highly  cultivated  fields 
and  gardens  bore  the  marks  of  gradual  decay  and  destruction.  The  ranches 
of  Calabazas,  of  San  Bernardino,  and  numerous  other  places  on  this  frontier, 
presented  the  same  melancholy  aspect,  the  result  of  the  inability  of  Mexico 
to  protect  this  portion  of  territory  from  the  inroads  of  the  savages.  There 
are  now  but  a  few  settlements  throughout  this  district  of  country,  but  were 
it  protected  by  a  power  that  could  and  would  defend  it,  what  is  now  a  waste 
in  the  hands  of  the  savages  might  become  a  thriving  country,  with  safety 
insured  to  its  inhabitants.  Senate  Ex.  Doc.  No.  55,  33rd  Congress,  2nd  Sess^ 

I  quote  the  following  language  of  Gray,  from  subsequent 
explorations  made  by  him,  three  years  after  his  first  expe- 
dition, and  contained  in  his  report  to  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  Company.  It  was  chiefly  from  the  discoveries  made 
by  Gray,  in  this  adventurous  expedition,  through  regions  un- 
known for  many  years  past,  between  the  Rio  Grande  and  Gulf  of 
California,  together  with  the  Gadsden  Treaty,  that  induced 
parties  at  great  expense  to  emigrate  there,  and  commence  work- 
ing the  vast  mineral  deposites,  such  as  the  Arabac  silver  mines, 
the  Ajo  copper  mountain,  and  others,  but  which,  through  lack  of 
proper  protection  and  means  of  communication,  have  been 
greatly  retarded  in  their  development. 

After  crossing  the  dividing  ridge  of  the  continent  west  of  the 
Rio  Grande,  Gray  thus  alludes  to  the  country  : 

"There  were  large  haciendas  and  fine  cattle  ranches  in  this  neighborhood, 
until  a  war  of  extermination  was  declared  by  the  Apaches  against  the  Mexi- 
cans. Remains  of  the  old  San  Pedro  ranch  are  seen  at  this  day  ;  also  the 
"  Tres  Alamos  ;"  and  the  ruins  of  the  hacienda  of  Babacomeri,  whose  walls 


16 

and  towers  are  still  standing.  These  were  among  the  wealthiest  of  Sonora 
in  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  etc.,  but  it  has  been  many  years  since.  It  is  a  fine 
grazing  region,  with  wild  cattle  and  mustangs  constantly  seen  roaming  over 
the  plains.  The  district  from  San  Pedro  to  Santa  Cruz  valley,  nearly  due 
west  from  our  present  crossing  (latitude  31°  34V),  will  be  to  the  Pacific  slope 
what  the  region  of  Fort  Chadbourne,  in  Texas,  will  be  to  the  Atlantic.  The 
mountains  and  hills  are  covered  with  splendid  timber  of  the  largest  size,  and 
for  all  purposes  ;  and  the  valleys  are  full  of  springs,  and  the  finest  grass. 
To  Tubac,  a  town  in  the  valley  of  Santa  Cruz,  it  is  69  miles.  This  is  by 
following  the  San  Pedro  about  a  league,  passing  over  a  few  insignificant 
spurs,  and  ascending  the  Rio  Babacomeri  ;  thence  continuing  westward  by 
a  gradual  rise  over  delightful  plains  to  the  divide  between  that  and  the 
Sonoita  or  Clover  creek,  and  along  the  latter,  until  it  loses  itself  in  the 
porous  earth,  a  mile  from  the  Santa  Cruz  river,  and  by  the  broad  valley  of 
that  stream  to  Tubac. 

#  *  *  #  #####*# 

Of  the  line  of  Gray's  exploration  from  the  Rio  San  Pedro, 
he  says : 

It  passes  through  the  most  desirable  region,  with  the  hills  and  mountains 
for  forty  miles,  containing  inexhaustible  quantities  of  timber.  We  noticed 
tall  cedar  and  oaks  of  every  description  ;  one  kind  more  interesting  than  the 
others,  being  a  white  oak  from  twenty  to  forty  feet  in  the  body.  Pine  and 
spruce,  with  superior  white  ash  and  walnut,  were  found,  and  the  most  gigantic 
cotton-woods,  particularly  on  the  Sonoita. 

The  mountains  in  the  neighborhood  are  filled  with  minerals,  and  the  pre- 
cious metals  are  said  to  abound.  The  famous  Planchas  de  Plata  and  Arizona 
silver  mines,  which  the  Count  Raouset  de  Boulbon  attempted  to  take  posses- 
sion of,  are  in  this  section  of  country,  not  many  miles  below  the  present 
limits,  and  at  several  of  the  old  ranchos  and  deserted  mining  Tillages  which 
we  visited,  were  found  the  argentiferous  galena  ore  and  gold.  The  Sierra 
Santa  Rita  runs  along  to  the  east  of  the  Santa  Cruz  valley,  and  forms  a 
part  of  this  interesting  region.  It  is  very  high  and  bold,  filledwith  fertile 
valleys  and  flowing  rivulets,  and  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  timber.  I 
saw  much  of  this  district,  when  here  in  1851,  OH  the  survey  of  the  boundry. 
#########.#  * 

The  country  bordering  immediately  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of 
California,  through  which  Gray  was  probably  the  first  to  pene- 
trate, lies  adjacent  to  the  proposed  Arizona  Territory,  but  not 
a  part  of  the  same,  being  a  portion  of  the  State  of  Sonora. — 
He  thus  describes  that  section : 

"  The  Indians  represent  rich  Placers  existing  throughout  this  region,  and 
large  numbers  of  them  had  lately  come  in  with  considerable  quantities  of 
the  dust.  They  were  trading  it  for  trifles  to  the  Mexicans.  I  got  some  speci- 
mens of  it  which  was  the  same  as  the  California  Gold.  This  was  not  the 
time  of  year  (June)  for  them  to  work  the  mines,  but  in  the  fall,  after  the 
rain  has  commenced.  The  greatest  drawback  to  the  profitable  working  of 
the  Placers  of  this  district,  is  the  scarcity  of  water.  If  artesian  wells  suc- 
ceed, there  is  little  doubt  that  it  will  create  an  important  change.  West  from 
Tuseon  and  Tubac,  towards  the  Gulf  of  California,  the  country  presents 
more  the  appearance  of  a  barren  wasle  or  desert  than  any  district  I  have  seen. 
It  nevertheless  has  occasional  oases,  with  fine  grazing  lands  about  them,  and 
the  mountains,  which  are  more  broken  and  detached,  have  distinct  marks  of 
volcanic  origin.  The  ranges  though  short,  have  generally  the  same  parallel 
direction  as  those  further  east.  It  is  the  country  of  the  Papago  Indians,  a 
peaceful  and  friendly  tribe,  extending  down  to  the  Gulf  coast,  where  they 
are  mixed  up  somewhat  with  the  Cocopas  of  the  Colorado.  From  Sonoita  I 
explored  to  the  Gulf  shore,  near  the  mouth  of  Adair  Bay.  It  was  62  miles, 


17 

following  a  dry  arroya  most  of  the  way,  and  the  point  at  which  I  struck  the 
Gulf  was  in  latitude  31°  36^  34".  The  "  Bay"  is  about  15  miles  across,  and 
from  all  I  could  learn,  15  miles  long,  and  represented  as  having  four  fathoms 
of  water.  It  is  completly  encircled  by  a  range  of  sand  hills,  reaching  north- 
west to  the  Colorado  river  and  south-east  as  far  a.s  the  eye  could  discover. 
These  "  sables"  are  probably  eighty  or  ninety  miles  in  extent,  by  fire  to  ten 
broad. 

"  Notwithstanding  it  appears  to  be  the  most  desolate  and  forlorn-looking 
spot  for  eighty  miles  around  the  head  of  the  Gulf,  the  sand  hills  looking  like  a 
terrible  desert,  nature  seems  even  here,  where  no  rain  had  fallen  for  eight 
months,  to  have  provided  for  the  sustenance  of  man,  one  of  the  most  nutri- 
tious and  palatable  vegetables. 

"  East  of  the  Tinaja  Jllta  OY  high  tank  range,  lie  the  famous  Sierras  del  Ajo, 
now  United  States  territory.  These  mountains  derive  their  name  from  the 
vast  deposits  of  red  oxide  and  green  carbonate  of  copper  found  about  them, 
and  which  the  Indians  have  made  use  of  to  paint  (ajo)  themselves  with.  The 
mines  are  unquestionably  of  great  value,  and  must  become  important,  more 
particularly  from  their  being  situated  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  contem- 
plated railway.  The  tall  Cereus  Giganteus  and  Agave  Americana  are  found 
in  abundance.  From  the  latter  plant  the  natives  make  the  pulque,  mezcal 
and  agua-diente  ;  and  the  petahaya  or  cereus,  produces  a  fruit  from  which 
is  made  a  very  pleasant  preserve.  At  the  Pimo  and  Maricopa  villages  are 
found  wheat,  corn,  tobaco,  and  cotton,  besides  melons,  pumpkins,  beans,  etc. 
The  nature  of  the  soil  for  great  distances  in  the  Gila  valley  is  of  a  reddish 
loam;  some  parts  coated  with  a  beautiful  crystallization  of  salt,  a  quarter  to 
half  an  inch  thick.  This  seems  to  be  more  particularly  the  case  below  the 
Maricopa  villages  and  toward  the  Rio  Salado.  The  cotton,  of  which  I  pro- 
cured specimens,  though  cultivated  by  the  Indians  in  the  most  primitive 
manner,  exhibited  a  texture  not  unlike  the  celebrated  Sea  Island  cotton. 
Its  fibre  is  exceedingly  soft  and  silky,  but  not  of  the  longest  staple.  Large 
tracts  of  land  on  the  Gila  and  in  other  portions  of  this  district,  appear  to 
possess  the  same  properties  of  soil ;  and  where,  I  have  no  doubt,  the  finest 
cotton  will  soon  be  extensively  raised  and  brought  to  its  highest  state  of 
perfection  by  proper  cultivation. 

The  climate  is  thus  referred  to  by  Gray : 

One  of  the  most  favorable  features  upon  the  route  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
32nd  degree  proposed  for  the  Pacific  railway  is,  its  accessibility  at  all  times, 
admitting  of  labor  being  performed  in  the  open  air  at  each  season.  The 
nature  of  the  climate  through  Texas  to  the  Rio  Grande  has  already  been 
referred  to,  and  from  thence  to  the  Santa  Cruz  valley  half  way  to  the  Colo- 
rado, over  the  elevated  plateau  of  the  Sierra  Madra,  it  is  equally  salubrious 
and  temperate.  The  rainy  season  falls  in  the  summer  months,  and  but  seldom 
is  snow  seen  even  upon  the  mountain  tops.  Towards  the  Colorado  river  it 
ismuch  drier  and  more  torrid,  but  by  no  means  unhealthy;  nor  does  it  prevent 
out  door  work  the  whole  of  the  day  during  the  heated  term  of  summer. 

The  great  riches  of  the  country,  however,  are  a  total  waste  at  the  present 
time,  but  which  the  Pacific  railroad  will  at  once  develop,  and  make  to  itself 
the  foundation  of  a  vast  revenue.  I  refer  to  its  metallic  wealth,  the  silver, 
gold,  and  copper  mines  that  abound  in  almost  every  mountain  and  valley, 
between  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Gulf  of  California. 

The  ores  of  Chihuahua  and  Sonora  [now  Arizona.  S.  M.]  are  chiefly  sul- 
phuret  (lead  or  iron),  or  native  silver  in  porphyritic  or  stratified  limestone 
rocks  passing  at  greater  depths  into  igneous  rocks.  From  loose  piles  lyng 
upon  the  surface  and  evidently  picked  over,  I  procured  specimens  of  silvier 
and  copper.  Three  samples  representing  points  on  the  line  of  our  explora- 
tion about  equi-distant  from  each  other,  viz.:  the  Rio  Grande,  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Tubac,  arid  Avithin  90  miles  of  the  junction  of  the  Gila  and 
Colorado  rivers,  were  submitted  to  Dr.  I.  K.  Chilton,  of  New  York,  for 
analysis.  He  found  in  one  sample  of  lead  ore  (argentiferous  galena),  by  fire 
assay  71  per  cent,  of  lead,  and  the  "  lead  yielded  silver  equivalent  to  128 
ounces,  1  dwt.  to  the  ton"  (of  2000  pounds). 

2 


18 

In  another,  he  found  the  lead  obtained  from  it  to  yield  silver  in  the  propor- 
tion of  72  ounces  5  dwts.  to  the  ton  or  2000  pounds. 

The  copper  specimen  was  the  red  oxide,  and  yielded  as  follows: 
Copper,  ..................................  71.80 

Iron  ,  .....................................  7.84 

Oxygen,  ..................................  12.34 


..............  ..........  8.02 

Alumina,     $ 

100  parts. 

The  Papagos  and  Pimas  Indians,  by  proper  management,  might  be  made 
very  useful,  in  working  upon  the  road  where  there  is  not  much  rock  excava- 
tion. They  are  unlike  the  Indians  of  Texas,  or  the  Apaches,  living  in  villages 
and  cultivating  the  soil,  besides  manufaciuring  blankets,  baskets,  pottery,  etc. 
Quiet  and  peaceable,  they  have  no  fears  except  from  their  enemies,  the 
Apaches,  and  are  very  industrious,  much  more  so  than  the  lower  order  of 
Mexicans,  and  live  far  more  comfortably.  It  is  astonishing  with  what  preci- 
sion they  construct  their  acequias  —  irrigating  canals  —  some  of  them,  the 
acequias  madre,  of  jvery  large  size,  and  without  the  use  of  levelling  apparatus, 
but  simply  by  the  eye.  Their  gardens  and  farms  too  are  regularly  ditched 
and  fenced  off  into  rectangles  and  circles,  with  hedges  and  trees  planted  a» 
if  done  by  more  enlightened  people. 

The  population  of  the  new  Territory  of  Arizona  is  at  present 
not  far  from  eight  thousand,  and  is  rapidly  increasing.  The 
Mesilla  Valley  and  the  Rio  Grande  are  probably  the  most  thick- 
ly populated,  containing  about  five  thousand  people.  A  major- 
ity of  the  Mesilla  inhabitants  are  Mexicans,  but  they  will  be  con- 
trolled by  the  American  residents,  whose  number  and  influence 
is  constantly  on  the  increase.  The  Santa  Cruz  Valley,  in 
which  are  situated  the  towns  of  Tueson,  Tubac,  Tumacacari, 
and  the  mining  settlement  of  Sopori  and  others,  is,  next  to 
Mesilla,  the  most  thickly  settled.  Tueson  was  formerly  a  town 
of  three  thousand  inhabitants  ;  but  the  majority  have  been  dri- 
ven off  by  the  Apache  Indians.  It  is  fast  becoming  a  thriving 
American  town,  and  will  before  long  be  a  place  of  more  importance 
than  ever  before.  Real  estate  is  already  held  at  high  rates,  and  the 
erection  of  buildings  shows  that  American  energy  is  about  to  change 
the  face  of  the  last  half  century.  Tubac  had  been  completely  de- 
serted by  the  Mexicans.  It  has  been  reoccupied  by  the  Sonora  Ex- 
ploring and  Mining  Company,  and  now  boasts  a  population  of  several 
hundred.  The  Calabazas  valley  is  also  fast  filling  up  with  an  Amer- 
ican population,  and  another  year  will  see  the  whole  centre  of  the 
Territory  dotted  with  settlements.  Many  of  the  fine  claims  on  the 
San  Pedro  River  have  already  been  located  by  emigrants  under  the 
general  pre-emption  law,  but  until  protection  is  afforded  to  the  set- 
tlers, but  little  progress  will  be  made  in  agricultural  pursuits.  The 
Apache  Indian  regards  the  soil  as  his  own,  and  having  expelled  the 
Spanish  and  Mexican  invader,  he  feels  little  inclination  to  submit  to 
the  American.  A  small  settlement  of  Americans  is  growing  up  at 
Colorado  city,  opposite  Fort  Yuma,  at  the  junction  of  the  Gila  and 
Colorado  rivers.  This  point  is  destined  to  be  one  of  great  commer- 
cial and  pecuniary  importance.  Situated  at  the  present  head  of 


19 

ivigation,  at  the  point  where  the  overland  mail  route  crosses  the 
Colorado,  and  where  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  must  bridge  the 
stream,  it  is  a  necessary  stopping  place  for  all  travel  across  the 
country.  Here  are  transhipped  all  the  ores  coming  from  the  Terri- 
tory, which  find  their  way  to  market  down  the  Colorado  to  the  Gulf 
of  California,  thence  by  steamer  or  sailing  vessel  to  their  destination. 
Here  all  supplies  of  merchandise  for  the  Territory  are  landed,  and 
from  this  point  forwarded  to  their  various  owners.  A  thriving  com- 
merce has  already  sprung  up  between  Arizona  and  San  Francisco. 
In  almost  any  daily  paper  in  San  Francisco  may  be^seen  vessels  ad- 
vertised for  the  mouth  of  the  Colorado.  Two  steamers  find  active 
employment  in  transporting  government  stores  from  the  head  of  the 
Gulf  of  California  to  Fort  Yuma,  and  goods  to  Colorado  city  for  the 
merchants  of  Tucson,  Tubac,  Calabazas,  and  for  the  mining  compa- 
nies. Should  the  exploration  of  the  Upper  Colorado  by  Lieutenant 
Ives,  United  States  Army,  now  in  progress,  prove  successful,  Color- 
ado city  will  become  still  more  important,  as  the  surplus  products  of 
the  rich  valleys  of  New  Mexico,  Utah,  and  California  to  the  north, 
will  all  find  a  market  down  the  Colorado.  Property  in  this  new  city 
is  held  at  high  rates,  and  by  the  last  San  Francisco  News  Letter  is 
quoted  at  an  advance.  The  population  of  Arizona  Territory  has 
much  increased  within  a  few  months  by  emigration  from  California. 
The  massacre  of  Henry  A.  Crabbe  and  his  party  by  the  Mexicans  at 
Cavorca  created  a  desire  for  revenge  throughout  all  California. 
Companies  have  been  formed,  and  large  parties  are  settling  in  Arizona, 
near  the  Mexican  line,  with  the  ulterior  object  of  overrunning  Sonora, 
and  revenging  the  tragedy  in  which  was  shed  some  of  the  best  blood 
of  the  State.  The  appropriation  by  the  last  Congress  of  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars  for  the  construction  of  a  wagon  road  from  El  Paso 
to  Fort  Yuma,  and  the  two  mail  contracts,  semi-monthly  and  semi- 
weekly,  which  involve  an  expenditure  of  nine  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars per  annum,  will  afford  employment  to  a  host  of  people,  and  draw 
at  once  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  route  an  active  and  energetic 
population.  The  new  wagon  and  mail  route  traverses  the  Territory 
of  Arizona  throughout  its  entire  length.  Along  the  mail  route,  at 
intervals,  military  posts  will  be  established.  These  and  the  necessary 
grazing  stations  will  create  points  around  which  settlements  will  at  once 
grow  up,  and  the  country,  now  bare,  will  show  everywhere  thriving 
villages.  The  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  which  will  be  built  because 
it  is  necessary  to  the  country,  will  find  its  way  easily  through 
Arizona. 

It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  the  mining  companies,  in  their 
own  interest,  will  be  forced  to  subscribe  enough  to  the  stock  of  the 
company  to  insure  its  success.  The  Arizona  Copper  Mining  Company 
is  now  paying  $100  per  ton  for  the  transportation  of  its  ores  from  the 
mines  to  Colorado  city.  One  year's  freight  money  at  this  rate  would 
build  many  miles  of  the  road.  The  silver  mining  companies  will  be 
only  too  glad  to  get  their  ores  to  market  at  so  cheap  a  rate,  as  their 
proportion  of  the  subscription  to  the  railroad.  Iron  and  coal  are 


both  found  in  the  Territory,  —  the  former  especially  in  great  abun- 
dance. Texas  has  guaranteed  the  road  to  El  Paso,  by  her  generous 
legislation ;  Arizona  will  build  it,  with  her  mineral  wealth,  to  Fort 
Yuma,  the  eastern  boundary  of  California,  and  California  will  do  the 
rest.  The  first  terminus  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  will  doubt- 
less be  on  the  Gulf  of  California,  at  the  Island  of  Tiburon,  or  more 
probably  Guyamas.  A  steam  ferry  across  the  Gulf,  a  short  railroad 
across  the  peninsula  of  Lower  California  to  a  secure  harbor  on  the 
Pacific,  (where  a  steamer  will  take  passengers  and  freight  in  four 
days  to  San  Francisco,)  is  the  most  natural  course  of  this  route.  In 
view  of  this  probability,  all  the  available  points  for  such  a  terminus 
on  the  Gulf  have  been,  or  are  in  progress  of  being,  secured  by  capi- 
talists, either  by  obtaining  grants  from  the  Mexican  Government,  or 
by  purchase  from  private  individuals.  Already  Guyamas  is  owned 
in  great  part  by  English  and  American  capitalists.  A  port  on  the 
Gulf  of  California  is  necessary  to  our  Pacific  possessions,  and  must  be 
ours  sooner  or  later.  The  longer  it  is  delayed,  the  worse  for  Ameri- 
can progress  on  the  Pacific.  Arizona  needs  it  at  once,  as  a  depot  for 
the  export  of  her  ores,  and  for  the  import  of  goods  for  the  supply  of 
her  populatioa. 

The  Mormon  war  has  closed  for  years  the  great  emigrant  road  to 
California  and  Oregon,  over  the  South  Pass  and  Salt  Lake  valley, 
leaving  open  only  the  route  along  the  32d  parallel  of  latitude,  through 
Arizona.  This  route  is  by  far  the  most  practicable  at  all  seasons  of 
the  year,  and  the  closing  of  the  South  Pass  route  by  the  Mormon 
difficulty  is  an  additional  and  urgent  argument  in  favor  of  the  early 
organization  of  this  Territory.  Fifty  thousand  souls  will  move  towards 
the  Pacific  early  in  the  spring,  if  the  route  is  opened  to  a  secure 
passage. 

The  present  condition  of  Arizona  Territory  is  deplorable  in  the 
extreme.  Throughout  the  whole  country  there  is  no  redress  for 
crimes  or  civil  injuries  —  no  courts,  no  law,  no  magistrates.  The 
Territory  of  New  Mexico,  to  which  it  is  attached  by  an  act  of  Con- 
gress, affords  it  neither  protection  nor  sustenance.  The  following 
extracts  from  letters  received  by  the  writer  tell  the  story  of  the 
necessity  for  early  action  on  the  part  of  Congress,  in  urgent  terms. 
TUBAC,  GADSDEN  PURCHASE,  August  15,  1857. 

Affairs  in  the  Territory  have  not  improved.  A  party  of  Americans  (our 
countrymen)  had  made  an  "  excursion"  into  Sonora,  captured  a  train  of  mules, 
and  killed  several  Mexicans.  Upon  their  return  to  the  Territory  with  their 
ill-gotten  booty,  the  citizens  formed  a  company  and  took  the  property  away 
from  them,  and  returned  it  to  the  owners  in  Magdalena,  [a  town  of  Sonora — 
Ed.,]  and  delivered  the  robbers  up  to  Major  Steen,  commanding  first  dragoons, 
to  be  held  in  custody  until  Courts  should  be  organized.  They  have  again  been 
turned  loose  upon  the  community.  In  justice  to  Major  Fitzgerald  I  must  say 
he  was  in  favor  of  retaining  them  in  custody,  and  has  generally  maintained 
favoring  law  and  order  in  the  Territory,  but  as  he  is  only  second  in  command 
he  has  no  absolute  authority. 

We  have  no  remedy  but  to  follow  the  example  so  wide  spread  in  the  Union, 
and  form  a  "  Vigilance  Committee" — contrary  to  all  good  morals,  law,  order, 
and  society.  Can  you  do  nothing  to  induce  the  government  to  establish  au- 
thority and  law  in  this  country,  and  avert  this  unhappy  alternative? 


21 

It  is  not  desired  by  any  good  citizens,  and  tends  to  anarchy  and  monocracy, 
causing  disloyalty  in  our  own  citizens  and  bringing  the  reproach  of  foreigners 
upon  our  republican  institutions.  It  is  imposible  to  progress  in  developing 
the  resources  of  the  country  under  this  state  of  affairs.  The  greatest  objec- 
tion the  capitalists  of  San  Francisco  have  to  aiding  me  in  the  development 
of  silver  mines,  is  the  insecurity  of  property,  want  of  protection  from  gov- 
ernment, and  general  distrust  of  fair  and  honest  legislation. 

They  have  no  confidence  that  the  guarantees  of  the  Gadsden  treaty  will  be 
respected  by  the  United  States,  in  regard  to  land  titles  under  the  Mexican 
government. 

The  silver  ore  brought  to  San  Francisco  from  our  mines,  has  been  tested 
by  a  dozen  different  officers,  in  as  many  different  ways,  and  no  result  falls 
below  five  thousand  dollars  per  ton  of  ore. 

Senator  Gwin  goes  on  to  Washington  soon,  and  will  corroborate  my  state- 
ments. He  has  a  piece  of  the  silver,  the  first  smelted  in  San  Francisco, 
showing  $8,735  20 — eight  thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty-~five  20-100  dollars 
per  ton  of  ore.  Mr.  Dunbar  is  getting  the  petition  to  Congress  signed — and 
moving  in  the  affairs  of  the  Territory  in  connection  with  Mr.  Ehrenberg  and 
our  friends — but  the  government  came  near  "  crushing  us  out"  by  sending  a 
Custom  House  Collector  to  consume  and  destroy  what  little  we  had  saved 
from  the  Apaches.  Can  nothing  be  done  to  rid  us  of  a  Custom  House?  It 
is  no  protection.  The  Territory  (as  yet)  produces  nothing  but  minerals — 
and  we  have  to  pay  duty  upon  every  article  of  consumption.  This  is  a  very 
onerous  tax  upon  our  first  feeble  efforts  to  develop  the  resources  of  this  re- 
mote and  unprotected  country.  Very  truly  yours, 

C.  D.  POSTON. 

To  LIEUT.  MOWRT,  U.  S.  A.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

"We  are  living  without  the  protection  of  law  or  the  ameliorations  of 
society.  New  Mexico  affords  us  no  protection.  We  have  not  even  received 
an  order  for  election.  Every  one  goes  armed  to  the  teeth,  and  a  difficulty  is 
sure  to  prove  fatal.  In  this  state  of  affairs  it  is  impossible  to  hold  a  con- 
vention." 

TUESON,  Oct.  1,  1857. 

We  are  pleased  to  hear  that  the  prospect  for  Arizona  is  so  bright.  If  you 
should  succeed  in  getting  a  separate  organization  for  Arizona,  you  will  lay 
the  people  under  many  obligations  to  you. 

You  have  no  doubt  received  many  petitions  for  Congress,  and  also  your 
certificate  of  election  as  delegate  for  this  purchase.  You  received  the  en- 
tire vote;  there  was  no  difference  of  opinion  among  the  voters. 

Yourob'tserv't,  J.  A.  DOUGLAS. 

Lt.  MOWRY,  U.  S.  A. 

TUESON,  Oct.  25,  1857. 

I  send  you  the  last  petition  from  the  Territory.  The  work  is  now  in  your 
hands,  and  we  say,  God  speed  it. 

G.  H.  OURY. 

TUESON,  ARIZONA  TERRITORY,  Oct.  17,  1857. 

Every  thing  begins  to  look  up  in  the  Territory  notwithstanding  the  difficul- 
ties we  labor  under.  The  Indians  the  other  day  came  within  eight  hundred 
yards  of  Fort  Buchanan  and  remained  some  time,  and  when  they  left  carried 
off  with  them  all  the  horses  and  mules  in  the  valley  for  six  or  eight  miles  be- 
low. Try  your  hand  in  this  matter  of  our  Territory,  and  see  if  some  change 
cannot  be  wrought  to  some  benefit — we  need  it  greatly. 

Very  truly  yours,  G.  H.  OURY. 

TUESON,  Oct.  2,  1657. 

We  have  heard  from  Mesilla  and  they  fully  concur  with  us  in  all  we  have 
done,  showing  that  you  are  the  person  chosen  to  act  for  them  and  to  repre- 
sent their  interest  in  this  matter.  The  people  here  are  very  much  elated  at 
the  turn  things  are  taking,  and  every  one  seems  to  be  highly  pleased  with 


22     . 

the  course  you  have  pursued.  An  election  was  held  on  the  first  Monday  in 
September,  at  which  you  received  all  the  votes  given,  and  a  certificate  of 
your  election,  signed  by  the  judges  and  clerks,  has  been  forwarded  to  you. 

The  country  is  being  settled  very  fast,  and  there  is  somewhat  of  a  stir  to 
obtain  cultivated  lands.  The  lands  already  under  cultivation  are  now  fifty 
per  cent,  higher  than  a  short  time  back.  The  great  misfortune  we  labor  un- 
der is  want  of  protection.  Thousands  and  thousands  of  acres  of  land,  as 
rich  and  fertile  as  any  on  the  face  of  the  globe,  lie  idle  and  useless  because 
they  are  not  protected  from  the  Apaches.  We  want  only  one  thing  besides 
the  Territorial  organization,  and  that  is  PROTECTION. 

Very  truly  yours,  S.  WARNER. 

Oct.  8,  1857. 

The  guerilla  warfare  on  the  Sonora  frontier  continues  with  increased  ag- 
gravation. We  look  for  the  happiest  result  from  the  exploration  of  this  in- 
teresting region  of  the  Colorado,  about  to  be  explored  by  Lieut.  Ives,  U.  S. 
A.  The  ores  from  the  Heintzelman  mine  took  the  premium  at  the  mechan- 
ics'fair  in  San  Francisco,  just  closed,  where  the  ores  from  California  and 
the  western  coast  were  on  exhibition.  So,  Arizona  leads  California,  the 
great  mineral  State. 

All  we  need  is  good  government  and  honest,  liberal  legislation  to  make 
Arizona  equal  in  production  of  precious  metals,  if  not  exceed,  California. 
Yours  truly,  C.  D.  POSTON. 

Lt.  MOWRT,  U.S.  A. 

FORT  YUMA,  June  2,  1857. 

News  has  just  come  in  from  the  Arizona  which  represent  an  awful  state 
of  affairs.  During  the  time  Mr.  Belknap  was  below  at  Sonora  it  was  unsafe 
for  him  to  go  out  unless  accompanied  by  his  friend,  Don  Gaudaloupe  Orosco, 
and  even  then  it  was  very  dangerous.  No  news  from  Sonora  nor  even  an  ar- 
rival for  the  last  twenty  days.  God  knows  what  is  going  on  ;  though  of 
one  thing  we  are  certain — no  American,  never  mind  whatsoever  he  may  be, 
can  go  into  Sonora,  with  or  without  a  passport. 

Very  sincerely  yours,  P.  R.  BRADY. 

dug.  5,  1850. 

The  condition  of  the  purchase  has  been  extremely  bad  since  the  unfortu- 
nate and  injudicious  expedition  of  Crabbe  into  Sonora,  and  at  the  present 
time  is  but  little  better  than  a  field  of  guerilla  warfare,  robbery  and  plunder. 

The  exasperated  state  of  feeling  between  the  Mexicans  and  Americans 
prevents  intercourse  and  commerce,  upon  which  the  Territory  is  dependent, 
Americans  are  afraid  to  venture  into  Sonora  for  supplies,  and  Mexicans 
afraid  to  venture  over  the  line.  Americans  who  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
filibustering  invasion  have  been  treated  badly  in  Sonora  and  driven  out  of 
the  country,  and  Mexicans  coming  into  the  purchase  with  supplies  and  ani- 
mals have  been  robbed  and  plundered  by  the  returned  filibusters. 

The  Americans  iu  the  Territory  are  by  no  means  harmonious  on  these  sub- 
jects— some  in  favor  of  filibustering  and  others  opposed  to  it  ;  some  in  favor 
of  murdering  and  robbing  Mexicans  wherever  found,  and  others  opposed 
to  it. 

It  results  that  we  are  in  a  state  of  anarchy,  and  there  is  no  government,  no 
protection  to  life,  property,  or  business  ;  no  law  and  no  self-respect  or  moral- 
ity among  the  people.  We  are  living  in  a  perfect  state  of  nature,  without 
the  restraining  influence  cf  civil  or  military  law,  or  the  amelioration  of  so- 
ciety. 

There  have  not  been  many  conflicts  and  murders,  because  every  man  goes 
armed  to  the  teeth,  and  a  difficulty  is  always  fatal  on  one  side  or  the  other. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this,  the  Government  has  blessed  us  with  a  custom  house 
at  Calabazos  to  collect  duties  upon  the  necessaries  of  Jife  which,  by  chance 
and  "  running  the  gauntlet,"  we  may  get  from  Sonora. 

God  send  that  we  had  been  left  alone  with  the  Apaches.  We  should  have 
been  a  thousand  times  better  off  in  every  respect 


23 

In  this  state  of  affairs  it  is  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  the  people  will  meet 
together  in  a  convention  ;  there  was  no  arrangement  for  that  purpose  up  to 
the  time  of  my  leaving,  and  none  could  be  made. 

We  have  never  had  any  orders  of  election  from  Santa  Fe,  nor  heard  of  any 
convention. 

Yours  truly. 

C.  D.  POSTON. 

Major  Fitzgerald,  U.  S.  A.,  whose  long  experience  on  the  Pacific 
coast  makes  his  opinion  very  valuable,  in  a  letter  dated  Fort  Bu- 
chanan, Arizona,  Sept.  17th,  1854,  says  : 

"The  citizens  of  this  country  are  very  desirous  of  a  territorial  organiza- 
tion, with  its  courts,  &c.  Murders  are  committed  and  stock  is  stolen  by 
white  men  with  impunity.  There  is  no  court  nearer  than  the  Rio  Grande 
(300  miles)  to  take  cognizance  of  crime.  Some  few  of  the  emigrants  of  this 
year  have  remained  in  the  Santa  Cruz  valley.  More  would  have  done  so,  no 
doubt,  if  they  had  not  started  from  the  States  originally  with  stock  for  the 
California  market. 

The  country  around  us  is  now  beautiful.  It  has  been  raining  almost  daily 
since  the  1st  of  July,  and  the  vegetation  is  most  luxuriant.  Many  of  the 
Mexican  citizens  come  over  the  line  for  purposes  of  trade,  bringing  flour, 
fruit,  and  leather.  If  there  was  no  custom  house  at  Calabazas,  these  articles 
cuuld  be  had  very  cheaply. 

We  have  very  excellent  gardens,  and  plenty  of  vegetables.  There  is  said 
to  be  a  good  deal  of  cultivable  land  on  the  upper  Gila,  and  if  a  territory  is 
created,  it  should  embrace  this.  This  would  also  include  a  large  part  of  the 
Colorado  valley  above  the  junction  of  the  Gila.  That  you  may  succeed  in 
your  wishes  with  regard  to  Arizona,  is  the  sincere  desire  of 

Your  friend  and  obliged  serv't, 

E.  H.  FITZGERALD." 
Lt.  MOWRY,  U.  S.  A. 

A  subsequent  letter  from  Major  Fitzgerald  dated  Oct.  1st,  says 
Tueson  contains  rising  five  hundred  inhabitants,  the  remainder  of  the 
Santa  Cruz  altogether  enough  to  make  considerable  over  a  thousand, 
independent  of  the  population  towards  and  upon  the  Gila  and  Colorado, 
of  which  he  remarks, 

"  You  know  more  than  I."  "  There  is  not  a  doubt  but  that  upon  the  loca- 
tion of  the  mail  route,  there  will  be  a  considerable  emigration  to  this  coun- 
try, and  if  a  portion  of  Sonora  be  organized,  large  numbers  will  come  both 
from  the  East  and  West.  The  country  is  an  excellent  one  for  stock  of  all 
kinds,  of  which  there  were  great  unmbers  where  the  Apaches  were  gathered 
under  the  wing  of  the  Catholic  church.  The  valleys  of  Santa  Cruz,  San 
Pedro,  and  Upper  Gila,  and  also  that  of  Messilla,  contain  large  bodies  of 
productive  lands,  and  all  the  cereals  grow  luxuriantly  therein.  That  there  is 
much  silver  in  the  Territory  there  is  no  doubt,  but  it  requires  capital  to  develop 
it.  As  yet  but  little  progress  has  been  made  in  mining.  Evidences  of  old 
works  are  seen  on  many  of  the  water  courses,  but  operations  have  not  yet 
been  recommenced,  except  at  Arizona,  Sopori,  and  Ariaola,  principally 
because  the  country  is  very  partially  settled,  and  it  is  not  safe  to  be  at  any 
distance  from  the  mass  of  the  population,  and  the  troops.  Copper  ore  is 
found  in  many  localities,  but  little  gold  is  yet  discovered.  If  the  road  from 
El  Paso  to  Fort  Yuma  be  located  by  Parke's  route,  as  many  suppose,  a  fine 
country  will  be  opened  on  the  Gila  and  Lower  San  Pedro,  which  will  produce 
ample  supplies.  The  Territory  presents  uo  difficulties  of  importance  to  the 
successful  establishment  of  the  road.  Frequent  stations  and  proper  protection 
are  only  requisite  to  ensure  success  as  completely  as  the  most  sanguine  anticipate. 
Should  Sonosa,  or  even  a  portion  of  it  be  organized,  this  will  be  one  of  the 
most  pleasant  localities  of  our  country.  A  delightful  climate,  plenty  of  fine 
fruit,  facility  of  supply  by  a  port  on  the  Pacific,  semi-weekly  mails  from  the 
east  aud  west, —  are  only  some  of  the  attractions  which  it  would  possess, 


24 

Sonora  is  quiet.  Many  of  the  wealthy  men  there  are  in  favor  of  annexa- 
tion, 'tis  said,  but  they  have  to  keep  silent  on  the  subject  for  fear  of  noisy 
patriots,  who  would  proclaim  them  traitors  at  once,  if  they  made  a  parade 
of  their  inclinations.  The  San  Antonio  and  San  Deigo  mail  passes  through 
Tueson  once  a  fortnight,  and  seems  to  have  met  with  no  important  obstacle 
as  yet.  A  drove  of  mules  accompanies  it,  which  are  harnessed  in  turn. 
When  regular  stations  are  established  its  speed  will  be  much  increased.  My 
last  letter  was  not  written  with  a  view  of  the  use  being  made  of  it  you  men- 
tioned, yet  if  it  answers  a  good  purpose,  I  have  no  objection.  It  was  but  a 
careless  note,  but  its  contents  were  truths,  nevertheless."  (This  note  dem- 
onstrated the  facility  of  supply  for  the  Territory  from  the  Pacific.) 

"  Most  truly  your  friend, 
(Signed,)  E.H.FITZGERALD." 

TUBAC,  GADSEN'S  PURCHASE,  22d  Oct.,  1857. 

"We  have  of  late  been  seriously  annoyed  by  the  Apaches.  Nearly  all  the 
animals  belonging  to  the  citizens  residing  around  Fort  Buchanan  have  been 
driven  off  by  the  Apaches.  They  are  very  impudent,  and  commit  their  dep- 
redations in  broad  day-light,  talk  to  the  people  while  they  are  driving  off  the 
animals,  and  always  escape  without  being  molested. 

The  other  day  they  came  within  800  yards  of  the  Fort  and  looked  down 
upon  it. 

In  order  to  bring  them  to  terms  the  Government  ought  to  enlist  1000  Pinos 
and  Papagos  to  accompany  the  military.  Indians  are  the  only  persons  who 
can  successfully  traverse  these  mountains  and  hunt  up  their  hiding  places. 
If  this  is  not  done,  they  will  surely  brerak  up  our  settlements  here.  Forts 
ought  to  be  established  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Apache  country,  in  the  places 
fit,  and  used  by  them  for  cultivation.  If  this  is  done  we  will  soon  bring  them 
to  terms. 

Until  now,  our  mining  establishments  have  not  been  molested  by  them,  and 
we  are  going  on  in  high  glee.  This  is  undoubtedly  the  richest  silver  mining 
country  in  the  world.  If  the  United  States  will  make  just  and  liberal  laws 
for  us;  give  us  protection;  remove  those  trifling  and  unprofitable  custom- 
houses on  the  frontier,  at  least  for  5  or  6  years;  procure  us  a  transit  through 
Sonora  to  Guaymas,  and  hasten  along  the  rail-road  to  California,  this  will 
indeed  be  a  prosperous  country,  and  will  astonish  the  world  with  its  produc- 
tion of  silver  and  copper.  But  with  with  such  terrible  obstacles  as  those 
mentioned  above  and  the  great  length  of  transit  to  transport  goods  over  the 
roads  which  we  have  to  take  at  present,  progress  only  is  possible  for  such  as 
find' mines  of  the  extraordinary  and  incredible  richness  of  the  Heintzelman 
vein.  If  the  present  promises  of  few  of  these  mines  are  realized,  by  working 
them  on  a  scale  commensurate  with  their  extent  and  richness,  I  have  no  doubt 
but  that  they  will  equal  in  production  the  whole  silver  exports  of  Mexico. 

I  think  an  appropriation  ought  to  be  made  to  sink  artesian  wells  through 
the  Papagos  country,  between  San  Xavier  and  the  lower  Gila.  This  route 
cuts  off  about  100  miles  from  the  best  route  via  the  Pinos  villages.  It  is  laid 
down  on  my  map,  as  a  rail-road  route,  now  at  the  office  of  the  Sonora  Ex- 
ploring and  Mining  Company,  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

The  country  consists  of  a  succession  of  plains  and  isolated  mountain  ridges, 
none  of  which  need  to  be  crossed.  In  fact  it  is  a  dead  level  to  Fort  Yuma, 
and,  in  consequence,  no  grading  is  necessary.  There  is  scarcity  of  water, 
but  the  soil  in  general  is  excellent  and  grass  abounds  all  along  the  line,  while 
the  mountains  teem  with  minerals  of  the  richest  description.  ^  The  oxides 
and  the  sulphurets  of  copper  are  the  most  beautiful  and  richest  in  the  world. 
Silver  undoubtedly  exists  of  equal  richness. 

All  the  foothills  contain  gold,  but  I  hardly  think  it  will  be  extracted  by  the 
whites,  as  the  localities  are  devoid  of  water,  and  they  are  not  probably  rich 
enough  to  pay  without  sluicing  on  an  extensive  scale." 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

HERMAN  EHRENBERG. 

TO  Lieut.  S.  MOWRY,  U.  S.  A., 

Delegate  elect  from  Arizona, 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


I 


25 


The  only  comment  the  writer  has  to  make  upon  these  statements  is, 
that  two  years'  residence  among  and  acquaintance  with  the  people  of 
Arizona,  has  convinced  him  of  their  absolute  truth.  At  the  last  ses- 
sion of  Congress  a  petition  was  presented,  praying  for  a  separate 
Territorial  organization.  The  necessity  for  some  legislation  was  ad- 
mitted by  both  Senate  .and  House ;  and  bills  creating  a  separate 
judicial  district  and  land  offices,  passed  both  Houses,  but  owing  to 
some  minor  differences  and  the  lateness  of  the  session,  the  bills  failed 
to  become  a  law. 

With  an  increased  population  and  prolonged  grievances,  the  people 
of  Arizona  are  again  about  to  present  themselves  as  supplicants  for 
that  right  inherent  in  the  American  heart — the  right  of  self  govern- 
ment— and  of  protection  under  the  law.  Their  petition  sets  forth  in 
brief,  plain  terms,  their  situation  and  necessities,  and  prays  simply  for 
a  separation  from  New  Mexico  and  a  Territorial  organization  under 
the  name  of  Arizona.  As  a  matter  of  necessity  for  the  successfuj 
carriage  of  the  mail  across  the  country,  this  Territorial  organization 
is  imperative.  No  contract  for  labor  or  supplies  can  be  enforced  in 
the  present  condition  of  the  country.  Courts  of  law  must  be  estab- 
lished, with  officers  to  enforce  their  mandates,  or  the  contractors  will 
be  utterly  unable  to  carry  out  their  contract. 

The  great  necessity  of  a  safe  and  speedy  overland  communication 
with  the  Pacific,  has  directed  public  attention  to  the  organization  of 
Arizona  as  a  separate  Territory,  and  the  desired  legislation  has 
received  the  unanimous  endorsement  of  the  press  of  the  whole  coun- 
try. Petitions  with  thousands  of  signatures  from  leading  citizens  of 
the  majority  of  the  states  of  the  Union,  will  be  presented  to  Congress 
asking  for  the  immediate  organization  of  the  new  Territory  as  the 
best  means  to  at  once  open  a  highway  to  the  Pacific  ;  and  so  important 
has  this  view  of  the  question  been  deemed  as  to  call  from  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  a  recommendation  in  his  message  to  Congress. 
No  opposition  has  been  made  to  the  most  just  prayer  of  the  people  of 
Arizona,  and  it  is  believed  that  none  will  be  made,  unless  it  comes 
from  New  Mexico.  It  must  be  born  in  mind  that  that  the  Gadsden 
Purchase  was  not  originally  an  integral  p^rt  of  New  Mexico  ;  that  it 
was  acquired  years  after  the  treaty  of  Gaudaloupe  Hidalgo,  and  was 
only  attached  to  the  territory  of  New  Mexico  as  a  temporary  expedi- 
ent. It  must  also  be  remembered  that  the  Gadsden  Purchase,  with 
the  portion  of  New  Mexico  which  it  is  proposed  to  include  within  the 
limits  of  the  territory  of  Arizona,  is  separated  from  New  Mexico 
proper  by  natural  boundries  ;  that  it  derives  no  benefit  from  the 
present  connection :  and  that  any  opposition  to  the  desired  legislation 
arises  from  the  Mexican  population,  which  fears  the  influence  of  a 
large  American  emigration.  Moreover,  that  New  Mexico  contains 
upwards  of  200,000  square  miles,  and  that  its  organic  act  provides 
for  its  partition  ;  showing  clearly  that  Congress  anticipated,  at  no 
remote  day,  the  settlement  of  the  couutry  by  an  American  population, 
and  its  erection  into  several  territories  and  states.  The  only  effect  of 
4 


26 

the  present  connection  of  Arizona  with  New  Mexico  is  to  crush  out 
the  voice  and  sentiment  of  the  American  people  in  the  territory  ; 
and  years  of  emigration,  under  present  auspices,  would  not  serve 
to  counterbalance  or  equal  the  influence  of  the  60,000  Mexican 
residents  of  New  Mexico.  New  Mexico  has  never  encouraged  Ameri- 
can population.  She  is  thoroughly  Mexican  in  sentiment,  and  desires 
to  remain  so. 

As  a  matter  of  State  policy,  the  organization  of  Arizona  is  of  the 
first  importance.  Situated  between  New  Mexico  and  Sonora,  it  is  pos- 
sible now  to  make  it  a  thoroughly  American  State,  which  will  con- 
stantly exert  its  influence  in  both  directions,  to  nationalize  the  other 
two.  New  Mexico  is  at  present  thoroughly  Mexican  in  its  character 
and  vote.  Sonora,  if  we  acquire  it  at  once,  will  be  the  same.  By 
separating  Arizona  from  it,  and  encouraging  an  American  emigration, 
it  will  become  "  the  leaven  which  shall  leaven  the  whole  lump."  By 
allowing  it  to  remain  attached  to  New  Mexico,  or  by  attaching  it  to 
Souora  when  acquired,  the  American  influence  will  be  swallowed  up 
in  the  great  preponderance  of  the  Mexican  vote.  The  Apache  Indian 
is  preparing  Sonora  for  the  rule  of  a  higher  civilization  than  the  Mex- 
ican. In  the  past  half  century,  the  Mexican  element  has  disappeared 
from  what  is  now  called  Arizona,  before  the  devastating  career  of  the 
Apache.  It  is  every  day  retreating  further  South,  leaving  to  us,  when 
it  is  ripe  for  our  possession,  the  territory  without  the  population. 

The  incentives  to  emigration  to  Arizona,  in  addition  to  the  charm 
which  the  discovery  of  mineral  wealth  carries  to  every  mind,  are 
very  great.  The  writer,  in  an  extended  tour  through  the  Southern 
States,  found  many  people,  mostly  young  men  of  moderate  means, 
ready  and  anxious  to  emigrate.  The  movement  is  still  stronger  in 
Southwestern  States,  and  already  many  a  train  of  wagons  is  on  its 
way.  It  will  have  no  end  for  years,  for  so  mild  and  healthy  is  the 
climate  that  emigration  is  practicable  at  all  seasons.  Snow  never 
lies  on  the  soil,  and  frost  is  almost  unknown.  The  contracts  already 
authorized  by  Congress  involve  the  expenditure  of  six  millions  of 
dollars  in  the  next  six  years  ;  the  troops  in  the  Territory  will  cost 
as  much  more.  Here  is  enough  money  in  hard  sub-treasury  coin,  to 
draw  a  large  population,  independent  of  other  considerations.  Al- 
ready in  many  places  the  enterprising  merchant  exposes  his  stock  of 
goods  only  two  months  from  San  Francisco,  but  he  does  it  with  the 
prayer  that  the  Apache  may  pass  him  by,  and  too  often  he  sees  his 
hard-earned  profits  disappear  before  the  Indian's  successful  foray. 

The  establishment  of  a  firm  government  in  Arizona  will  extend 
the  protection  of  the  United  States  over  American  citizens  resident  in 
the  adjoining  Mexican  provinces.  This  protection  is  most  urgently 
demanded.  Englishmen  in  Sonora  enjoy  not  only  perfect  immunity 
in  the  pursuit  of  business,  but  also  encouragement.  Americans  are 
robbed  openly  by  Mexican  officials,  insulted,  thrown  into  prison,  and 
sometimes  put  to  death.  No  redress  is  ever  demanded  or  received. 
This  state  of  things  has  so  long  existed  that  the  name  of  American 
has  become  a  byword  and  a  reproach  in  northern  Mexico,  and  the 


27 


people  of  that  frontier  believe  that  we  have  neither  the  power  nor  the 
inclination  to  protect  our  own  citizens.  The  influence  of  a  Territorial 
government,  with  the  tide  of  American  emigration  which  will  surely 
follow  it,  must  entirely  change  the  tone  and  temper  of  these  Mexican 
States. 

Th  e  population  of  Arizona  to-day,  exceeds  that  of  Washington 
Territory,  and  is  far  greater  than  was  that  of  Minnesota,  Kansas  or 
Nebraska,  at  the  time  of  their  organization.  An  election  for  a  Dele- 
gate has  been  held,  at  which  several  hundred  votes  were  polled,  and 
the  writer  returned  without  opposition.  The  unsettled  and  dangerous 
condition  of  the  country  prevented  a  convention  being  held,  but  let- 
ters have  been  received  from  all  parts  of  the  Territory,  expressing  a 
hearty  concurrence  in  the  election  on  the  part  of  those  unable  to  vote, 
and  an  earnest  desire  for  the  Territorial  organization. 

A  number  of  gentlemen  at  present  in  Washington,  can  testify  from 
actual  observation,  to  the  truth  of  the  statements  here  made  in  refer- 
ence to  Arizona  —  among  them  I  am  permitted  to  name  General  An- 
derson, late  U.  S.  Senator  from  Tennessee,  who  almost  alone,  with  rare 
perseverance  and  courage,  explored,  in  1850,  the  whole  length  of  the 
Territory,  Major  Heintzelman,  U.  S.  A.,  whose  long  station  at  Fort 
Yuma  made  him  acquainted  with  the  resources  of  the  country,  and 
who  has  shown  at  once  his  intelligence  and  foresight  and  his  faith  in 
the  prospective  wealth  of  the  silver  region,  by  large  investments  of 
capital,  Col.  A,  B.  Gray,  late  U.  S.  Surveyor  of  the  Mexican  Boundary 
line,  I.  Smith  McMicken,  Esq.,  whose  residence  for  many  years  on  the 
Mexican  frontier  has  entitled  his  opinion  to  some  weight,  and  A.  H. 
Campbell,  Esq.,  Superintendent  of  Wagon  Roads,  whose  information  is 
full  and  reliable.  To  these  names  it  may  not  be  improper  to  add  that  of 
the  writer,  who  has  for  two  years  past,  while  residing  at  the  junction  of 
the  Gila  and  Colorado  Rivers,  made  the  new  Territory  and  its  resources, 
an  objectof  constant  observation  and  study,  and  whose  experience  on  the 
Pacific  coast,  and  in  the  frontier  Territories,  and  on  the  route  across  the 
continent,  during  the  past  five  years,  has  enabled  him  to  speak  under- 
standingly  of  the  capabilities  and  necessities  of  a  new  country,  and  of 
a  frontier  people. 

In  five  years  a  great  State  may  be  built  upon  this  remote  frontier, 
and  a  population  gathered,  such  as  will,  when  we  make  further  acqui- 
sition of  territory,  spread  at  once  over  it,  diffusing  national  sentiment 
and  extending  the  area  of  American  principles. 

Aside  from  these  considerations,  justice  and  humanity,  impera- 
tively demand  that  Congress  shall  hear  and  at  once  answer  the  prayer 
of  the  people  of  Arizona  for  protection.  If  these  considerations  fail, 
then  they  offer  INTEREST  ;  for  the  organization  of  the  Territory  is  the 
guarantee  of  a  supply  of  silver,  which  will  create  as  great  a  revolution 
in  the  commercial  world  as  has  the  gold  of  California.  Arizona  will 
be  known  as  the  silver  State,  and  the  prediction  of  Humboldt,  that 
the  balance  between  gold  and  silver,  destroyed  by  the  California 
discoveries,  would  one  day  be  restored,  will  be  made  good,  from  tbp 
resources  of  the  Gadsden  purchase, 


To  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  Congress  assembled : 

The  undersigned,  your  humble  petitioners,  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  and  residents  of  the  Territory  known  as  the  Gadsden  Pur- 
chase, respectfully  represent : 

That  since  the  annexation  of  their  Territory  to  the  United  States, 
they  have  been  totally  unprotected  from  Indian  depredations  and  civil 
crimes. 

That  the  protection  of  the  Mexican  Government  has  been  with- 
drawn, and  that  it  has  not  been  replaced  by  any  visible  protection 
from  the  United  States. 

That  the  annexation  of  the  Purchase  to  New  Mexico,  carried  with 
it  no  protection  for  life  or  property. 

That  the  present  force  of  United  States  troops,  four  companies  of 
dragoons,  reduced  by  desertion  and  death  to  about  one  half,  is  entirely 
inadequate  to  protect  us  against  the  depredations  of  the  Apaches. 

That  many  of  your  petitioners  have  expended  their  time  and  means 
in  opening  and  prospecting  rich  mines  of  Copper  and  Silver,  and  have 
been  driven  from  them  by  the  Indians — losing  their  all,  and  also 
many  valuable  lives. 

That  the  Territory  is  immensely  rich  in  minerals,  especially  Silver 
and  Copper  j  and,  as  your  petitioners  most  firmly  believe,  the  devel- 
opment of  these  mines  will  make  a  change  in  the  currency  of  the 
world,  only  equalled  by  that  caused  by  the  gold  mines  of  California. 

That  a  great  part  of  the  the  Territory,  between  the  Rio  Grande 
and  Tueson,  is  susceptible  of  cultivation  and  will  support  a  large  ag- 
ricultural population. 

That  this  portion  of  the  Territory  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Apaches, 
and  useless,  unless  redeemed  from  their  grasp  and  protected  to  the 
farmer. 

That  the  highways  of  the  Territory  are  stained  with  the  blood  of 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  shed  by  Indians  and  by  public  marau- 
ders, who  commit  their  crimes  in  open  day,  knowing  there  is  no  law 
to  restrain  and  no  magistrate  to  arrest  them. 

That  this  Territory,  under  a  separate  organization,  would  attract  a 
large  population  and  become  immmediately  developed  ;  and,  that  its 
isolation — its  large  Indian  population — its  proximity  to  a  semi-civil- 
ized Mexican  province,  and  its  peculiar  and  wonderful  resources,  de- 
mand protection  from  the  Goverment  more  emphatically  than  any 
other  territory  yet  recognised. 

That  our  soil  has  been  stained  with  the  blood  of  American  citizens, 
shed  by  Mexican  hands,  in  an  armed  invasion  of  our  Territory  near 
Sonoita,  and  that  there  is  no  civil  magistrate  or  officer  here  to  even 
protest  against  such  an  outrage. 

That  throughout  their  whole  Territory,  from  the  Rio  Grande  to  the 


30 

Rio  Colorado,  six  hundred  miles,  there  is  no  Court  of  Record,,  and 
no  redress  except  that  inefficiently  administered  in  a  Justice's  Court, 
for  civil  injuries  or  crimes. 

That  the  population  of  the  Territory  is  much  greater  than  was  that 
of  Kansas  or  Nebraska  or  Washington  Territory,  at  the  time  of  their 
organization,  and  that  it  is  steadily  increasing,  and  will,  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Road  and  Mail  Bills  of  the  last  Congress,  be  greatly 
augmented. 

That  there  are  no  post  routes  or  mail  facilities  throughout  the 
Territory,  and  that  finally,  we  are  cut  off  from  all  the  comforts  of 
civilization  —  and  that  we  claim,  as  a  right,  that  protection  which  the 
United  States  should  everywhere  extend  to  her  humblest  citizen. 
Wherefore  your  petitioners  humbly  pray  that  the  Gradsden  Purchase 
may  be  separated  from  New  Mexico  and  erected  into  a  separate  Terri- 
tory under  the  name  of  Arizona,  with  such  boundaries  as  may  seem 
proper  to  your  honorable  bodies,  and  that  such  other  legislation  may 
be  made  as  shall  be  best  calculated  to  place  us  on  the  same  footing 
as  our  more  fortunate  brethren  of  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Minnesota, 
Oregon  and  Washington,  that  we  may  be  enabled  to  build  up  a  pros- 
perous and  thriving  State,  and  to  nourish  on  this  extreme  frontier  a 
healthy  national  sentiment.  And  we,  as  in  duty  bound,  will  ever 
pray. 

[Signed  by  more  than  five  hundred  resident  voters.] 


